Russia intercepts and escorts French warplanes over the Black Sea

Kremlin warns France that ‘violations of the Russian Federation border are not allowed’

A French Air Force warplane flying out of Greece close to the Black Sea where other French jets were intercepted by Russian fighters. AFP 

Tension between Russia and Nato is rising after three French warplanes were intercepted over the Black Sea.

Russia scrambled Su-27 fighters to intercept two Mirage 2000 jets and their accompanying KC-135 refuelling tanker on Wednesday as they approached the border, the defence ministry in Moscow reported.

The warplanes approached the French Air Force jets and escorted them over the Black Sea “in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace”, the Kremlin said.

“Once the foreign planes turned around and were no longer heading towards Russia's borders, the two Russian fighters returned to their base. Violations of the state border of the Russian Federation are not allowed.”

The Black Sea marks a geopolitical crossroads where Russian influence clashes with the West, with Nato member Turkey on its shores. Tension between Russia and the West has increased since 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimea on the Black Sea from Ukraine.

The latest interception happened a day before Nato’s defence ministers met on Thursday to discuss troop numbers in Afghanistan, where Russia has been accused of offering bounties to the Taliban to kill US soldiers. There are suggestions that Nato, which has 10,000 personnel in Afghanistan, will maintain its forces beyond the May 1 deadline that is part of a conditional agreement between the US and the Taliban.

In June last year, four Russian bombers were intercepted 40 kilometres from the US border in Alaska, the Pentagon said. Two weeks earlier the Russian Defence Ministry released footage showing two US B-1 Lancer bombers intercepted while flying over the Baltic Sea and Black Sea close to Russia.

RAF jets are regularly scrambled to intercept Russian bombers flying over the North Sea.