Turkish jets intercept Russian military plane

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Turkish jets intercepted the plane off the port city of Ordu on the Black Sea coast and monitored its flight from the Georgian border in the east through to the Bulgarian border. DHA photo

Turkish fighter jets intercepted a Russian military plane in international airspace over the Black Sea, the military said Oct. 23, without elaborating further.

"Two F-16 jets were scrambled to prevent a potential violation of [Turkish] airspace," after the Ilyushin II-20 plane was detected flying in parallel to Turkish coast, the general staff said in a statement about the incident.

Turkish jets intercepted the plane off the port city of Ordu on the Black Sea coast and monitored its flight from the Georgian border in the east through to the Bulgarian border, it added.

It was not immediately clear why the Russian plane approached Turkish airspace. Such air incidents between the two countries are rare.