Russian fighter jets were deployed to prevent two US long-range bombers from crossing the border into Russia, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

Russian MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets have identified two U.S. Air Force B-52H heavy bombers approaching the Russian border after Russia detected air targets over the Barents Sea, the Russian government said in a statement on social media.

The Barents Sea is located north of Finland, Sweden and Norway, and northwest of Russia.

“As the Russian fighters approached, the American strategic bombers turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” Moscow said in a statement.

The Russian fighter jets “have safely returned to their base airfields,” the report said.

This is a current news item and is being updated.

Mikoyan MIG-31 fighter jet
A Russian Mikoyan MIG-31 fighter jet at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, on July 20, 2021, in Zhukovskiy, outside Moscow, Russia. Moscow said it had taken off fighter jets after U.S. bombers…


Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images