The United States says it has intercepted two Russian bombers that remain in international airspace.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) claimed in a statement on Wednesday that Air Force F-22 fighter jets “completed two intercepts of Russian Bomber formations."
"F-22 Raptors, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, completed two intercepts of Russian Bomber formations entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) early this morning," said the statement. ”The first formation consisted of two Tu-95 bombers, accompanied by two Su-35 fighter jets and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, which came within 20 nautical miles of Alaskan shores.”
The ADIZ surrounds the US and Canada and stretches west to Alaskan islands south of Russia.
"The second formation consisted of two Tu-95 bombers supported by an A-50 and came within 32 nm," said the statement. "The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and at no time did they enter United States sovereign airspace."
Alaska houses the Pentagon's strategic missile interceptor base at Fort Greely, about 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
Moscow has repeatedly expressed concerns about US missile systems that it believes are being deployed around the world to counter Russian missiles.