Dramatic moment Russian fighter jet ‘intercepts two US nuclear bombers over Baltic Sea’

Russia claims US jets were intercepted on Monday

Russia has claimed it scrambled one of its fighter jets to intercept a pair of US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea.

The Russian Defence Ministry released the footage on Tuesday, which it claimed was captured from a Russian Su-45 on Monday.

It said its fighter jet met B-52 strategic bombers flying towards the Russian border on Monday, but that it returned to base after they moved away.

The White House has been approached for comment.

Russia has claimed to have intercepted a pair of US planes over the Baltic Sea (Russian ministry of defence)

It came after the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the US since the Ukraine war began, when an American military surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea on 14 March having been intercepted by Vladimir Putin’s jets.

The US at the time criticised Russia for the “reckless” and “unprofessional” attack, with footage later being released by US European Command detailing the incident.

“On March 20, radar facilities of the air defence forces of the Western military district on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying in the direction of the Russian Federation’s state border,” the ministry said of the latest incident, according to TASS.

Russia claimed they used their jet to prevent a border violation, and added, “after the foreign military aircraft moved away from the Russian Federation state border, the Russian fighter returned to its base airfield.”

The ministry added the flight was in line with international rules of the use of airspace. “No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was permitted,” it said.

The US and its Nato allies have supported Ukraine in its fight back against Russia, escalating tensions between the two, with Russia accusing America of fighting a proxy war in Ukraine.

Concerns have been raised by experts that there could be an incident in or over the Black Sea betweent the US and Russia, that could lead to an escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, which some analysts say could spill over Nato borders.