US Air Force: Russia did not intercept B-52 bombers over Baltic Sea

The Pentagon on Tuesday rejected Russia’s claims that it intercepted two US B-52 bombers flying near the Russian border earlier this week.

Russia’s defense ministry said Monday that one of its fighter jets was scrambled over the Baltic Sea to intercept the American bombers.

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But in a statement on Tuesday, the US Air Force said the two B-52s were conducting a long-range Bomber Task Force mission with NATO allies in Estonian airspace.

The mission was part of normally scheduled training operations coordinated “months prior to execution,” the US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa said in a statement.

The bombers stayed within Estonian airspace the entire flight at an approximate distance of 50 nautical miles from Russian airspace. “At no point did B-52s make contact with Russian aircraft,” the US Air Force said.

This week’s incident marks the latest in a string of events that have pitted American and Russian forces against each other. Tensions have soared in the aftermath of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Just last week, a Russian fighter jet clipped the wing of a US military drone that went spiraling into the Black Sea.

And last month, the Pentagon revealed that the US military had intercepted four Russian aircraft on Valentine’s Day as they were approaching the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). That came just days after two F-16 fighter jets intercepted four Russian aircraft near Alaska.

Read more: US military intercepts four Russian fighter jets, second incident in two days