Russian jets escort U.S. strategic bomber over Baltic Sea
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The appearance of U.S. bombers near Russian borders created additional tension, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing on Thursday.
The Russian jets took off to identify and accompany the U.S. bomber after it was detected "at a considerable distance" from the Russian border, the defense ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
After the B-52H changed its route and flew away from the Russian border, the Su-27 aircraft returned to their home airfield.
The ministry did not disclose the date of the incident.
According to media reports, the U.S. Air Force recently deployed six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Europe for "theater integration and flying training" drills with regional allies and North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners. ■