Did United States military pilots get too close to Russia?
The Kremlin thinks so, and Knewz.com has learned details about a reported icy confrontation in the Arctic.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims two U.S. bombers flew over the Barents Sea on Sunday, March 24. It’s at the northwest edge of Russia and Norway‘s border.
A Russian MiG-31 Foxhound reportedly intercepted both U.S. bombers and steered them away “to identify the air target and prevent violation of the state border of the Russian Federation,” a statement said.
No injuries are reported from the confrontation. The Foxhound reportedly approached, banked away and “turned around” to head back to base.
“No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was allowed,” the statement added.
The Kremlin claims the bombers were Air Force B-1B Lancers, which have supersonic capability and once were able to carry nuclear weapons.
The U.S. government has yet to comment on the Russian report. But The Sun tabloid says NATO has been staging major military exercises in the Barents Sea.
The exercise is called “Steadfast Defender ’24,” with all 32 member countries preparing for a possible Russian attack. More than 90 warplanes, 50 ships and 90,000 military personnel are involved.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced the end of the first phase of the exercise on Sunday, March 17 in Poland, according to the MenaFN website. It’s being called the biggest for NATO since the Cold War era.
“As tensions persist in Eastern Europe, this exercise sends a clear message that NATO is prepared to defend its members, its values, and uphold collective security in the Euro-Atlantic area,” an advance statement about the drills said.
Yet Front Page Detectives reported in late February that a British commander doubts a Russian invasion is imminent.
One exercise involved a surprise hunt by French navy personnel for a submarine spotted in waters off Norway.
Captain Thomas Vuong of the French ship Normandie told the Associated Press the drill was “extremely beneficial, because we reach a very high degree of realism… we better prepare our teams.”
Vuong noted the Barents Sea is “their playing field… they know the hiding places.”
In fact, the Russians have staged their own war games in the Barents Sea through the years.
The TASS news service reported on one drill in March 2020 which involved the placement of mines in the waters of a training range.
But one exercise ended in disaster, when the Russian submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000 killing everyone aboard. The Trendy Digests website recalls that was blamed on a torpedo explosion.
A second phase of the current NATO exercise is scheduled to last through the end of May. The statement said its focus will be “using deployed reinforcements across all domains, from the Arctic to the Eastern Flank.”
The post Russia Intercepts 2 U.S. Supersonic Bombers Headed for Border, Kremlin Claims appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Richard Burkard
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