Russian Plane ‘Flew in International Airspace Parallel to Turkey’s Shores’
By JOE PARKINSON CONNECT
ISTANBUL—Turkey’s military said Tuesday that it had on Monday scrambled eight F16 jets along its Black Sea coast after detecting a Russian spy plane flying parallel to Turkish airspace.
According to a statement on the website of Turkey’s General Staff, which presides over the country’s armed forces, the jets were scrambled on Monday after a Russian IL-20 spy plane was spotted in international waters close to Turkish territory. “Eight F16 jets have been scrambled for control and prevention as an IL-20 spy plane belonging to the Russian Federation has flown in international airspace parallel to our shores,” the statement said.
Reports of the move come amid heightened tension in the Black Sea region after Russian troops entered the restive Ukrainian region of Crimea. The statement was published shortly after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow reserves the right to use force in Ukraine to protect Russian-speaking minorities in the country.
Defense analysts have been watching for additional military buildup in the Black Sea area, which is bordered by six countries including Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. Turkey regularly scrambles jets along its borders and in October alone did so three times after detecting Russian planes in Turkish airspace, according to Fazil Esad Altay, an analyst at the 21st Century Turkey Institute, an Ankara-based think tank.
Two Russian landing ships crossed into the Black Sea through Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait at 0530 GMT on Tuesday morning, returning from duty in the Mediterranean where they had been posted due to Syria’s civil war, Turkey’s state news agency said.
via Turkey Scrambles Jets After Detecting Russian Spy Plane – WSJ.com.