Spying On Russia's Pacific Submarine Fleet

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Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat: Russia Intercepts US Aircraft (Maybe) Spying on Moscow’s Newest Ballistic Missile Sub

A Russian MiG-31 intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8 Maritime patrol aircraft in Northeast Asia on April 21.

Russia scrambled one of its fighter jets to intercept a U.S. spy plane off the Kamchatka Peninsula on April 21 flying within 50 feet of the U.S. aircraft, Bill Gertz over at the Washington Free Beacon reports.

“On April 21, a U.S. Navy P-8 Maritime Patrol reconnaissance aircraft flying a routine mission in international airspace was intercepted by a MiG-31 Russian jet in the vicinity of the Kamchatka Peninsula,” a U.S. Navy spokesperson for the Pacific Command told Gertz.

The U.S. Navy said that the interaction between the Russian and U.S. aircraft was “characterized as safe and professional.” The U.S. Navy spokesperson elaborated:

Intercepts between the United States and other militaries occur often and the vast majority are professional. For intercepts that are deemed unprofessional, the U.S. takes appropriate measures through military and diplomatic channels.

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WNU editor: I can only speculate that this U.S. spy plane was flying too close for the Russians to permit.