South Korea scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian aircraft (Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense)
Several Russian military aircraft briefly entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone, prompting South Korean forces to scramble fighter jets in response. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Aug. 26, according to Yonhap News.
On the afternoon of Aug. 25, Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone near the country’s easternmost islets, Dokdo and neighboring Ulleung, before leaving the zone.
“The South Korean military detected the Russian military aircraft before they entered the air defense zone and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any possible contingencies,” the military said in a statement.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff also said the aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace.
An air defense identification zone is not sovereign airspace, but is designated to require foreign aircraft to identify themselves in order to prevent accidental collisions, Yonhap noted.
In late June, about 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered the air defense identification zone over the country’s eastern and southern waters before leaving.
At the time, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense lodged a strong protest with China and Russia over the unauthorized entry of the aircraft into the zone.
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