Turkish jets intercept Russian plane for second time in one week

ANKARA – Doğan News Agency

The Russian planes were intercepted by Turkish jets in international airspace off the coast of Kırklareli province in Turkey’s Thrace region. DHA photo

Turkish jets have intercepted a Russian military plane over the Black Sea, the General Staff said on Oct. 28.
 
The Russian planes were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Kırklareli province in Turkey’s Thrace region, to prevent a “possible violation,” the statement said.
 
The incident came only four days after another Russian plane was intercepted by the Turkish military over the Black Sea.
 
Four F-16 jets were dispatched to monitor the Russian planes’ flight path along the Black Sea coastline from the Bulgarian border until the Georgian border, the statement added.
 
“Planes that took off from Akhisar at 12.14 p.m. monitored the Russian planes’ flight path as far as Bartın and returned to their base after transferring the task to two other F-16 planes, which took off from Merzifon at 13.10 p.m. The Russian planes were monitored until they left the [Turkish airspace] offHopa and Artvin,” the statement said. The monitoring lasted for more than three hours.
 
It was not immediately clear as to why the Russian planes had approached Turkish airspace.