The United Kingdom intercepts a Russian plane that approached one of its aircraft carriers in the Norwegian Sea

The Government of the United Kingdom confirmed this Monday the recent interception of a Russian plane that “repeatedly approached” the British aircraft carrier ‘HMS Prince of Wales’ when it was sailing in the waters of the Norwegian Sea, within the framework of operation ‘Arctic Sentinel’, deployed together with NATO partners.

A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense has indicated in statements to Europa Press that “a Russian ‘Bear-F’ maritime patrol device repeatedly approached” the aircraft carrier, which “was operating in the Norwegian Sea in Operation ‘Firecrest’.”

“The ‘Bear-F’ flew over at low altitude and dangerously close to the ‘HMS Prince of Wales’, launching a large number of sonobuoys very close to the aircraft carrier,” he said, before highlighting that “this activity was dangerous and unprofessional.”

Thus, he highlighted that “the Russian plane was intercepted and escorted by two British F-35 fighters from ‘HMS Prince of Wales’ until it left the area”, without the Russian authorities having commented on this incident, which took place on July 2.

The deployment of the aircraft carrier and the ships that accompany it takes place within the framework of the aforementioned NATO operation, launched in February to calm the open crisis within the Alliance over Greenland in the face of threats from the United States to take over the island belonging to Denmark.

The British ministry has also specified that the Russian plane did not respond to British attempts to contact it through international frequencies and has added that it launched ten sonobuoys in the area, which also includes the destroyer ‘HMS Duncan’ along with F-35 aircraft and Merlin and Wildcat military helicopters.