Russia scrambled a MiG-31 fighter jet on Friday to escort a US Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol plane approaching its airspace over the Norwegian Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Ministry said in a statement that "On 6 October 2023, Russian airspace control systems detected an aerial target approaching the State border of the Russian Federation over the Norwegian Sea.
"One MiG-31 fighter jet from Northern Fleet's air defence duty force was scrambled to identify the air target, and to prevent a violation of the State border of the Russian Federation.
"The Russian fighter jet identified the aerial target as US Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol airplane.
"As the Russian fighter jet approached, the foreign military aircraft made a U-turn away from the State border of the Russian Federation. There was no violation of the State border.
"The flight of the Russian fighter jet was carried out in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace over international waters without crossing air routes or coming dangerously close to an aircraft of a foreign State.
US expels Russian officials
The United States has expelled two Russian embassy officials after Russia earlier expelled two US diplomats from the American embassy in Moscow, the US State Department said on Friday.
"In response to the Russian Federation's specious expulsion of two US Embassy Moscow diplomats, the State Department reciprocated by declaring persona non grata two Russian Embassy officials operating in the United States," a State Department spokesman said.
"The Department will not tolerate the Russian government's pattern of harassment of our diplomats," the spokesman said, adding that "unacceptable actions against our Embassy personnel in Moscow will have consequences."
Russia's RIA news agency quoted an unnamed source in the Russian foreign ministry as confirming the expulsion, calling it groundless and saying Washington had used Moscow's Sept. 14 expulsion of two US diplomats "caught red-handed engaging in spying activities" as a pretext.
"We are not interested in escalation, but if such hostile actions continue, as always, we will respond firmly and decisively," RIA quoted the source as saying.
Russia said on Sept. 14 that it was expelling two US diplomats whom it accused of working with a Russian national charged with collaborating with a foreign state.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have plunged to their worst point in more than 60 years because of the war in Ukraine. The US is providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine and has hit Russia with sanctions in response to its invasion in February 2022.