A Russian Tu-142 Jet flew over a US flagship during NATO military maneuvers in Norway.
The photo of November 2nd, show a Tu-142 carrying out a “planned” flight over the neutral waters of the Norwegian Sea, where the military exercises of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are being conducted.
In the image, taken from the American ship and circulated on the Internet, you can see how the Russian patrol plane flies low over the Mount Whitney, flagship of the Sixth Fleet of the United States.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia confirmed what happened and reported that two Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft of the Naval Aviation carried out on November 2nd a “planned flight” in the aforementioned area, for more than 12 hours.
“All flights of the aircraft belonging to the Russian Navy are carried out strictly in accordance with international rules on the use of airspace, without violating the borders of other States,” says a statement from the Russian spokesperson.
The military games of the Atlantic Alliance are held in Norway from October 25th and will last until November 7th.
Around 50,000 soldiers from 30 NATO member countries participate in these exercises.
Faced with these maneuvers – named “Trident Juncture”, the largest since the Cold War -, Russia announced that it will “carry out missile tests this week in the Norwegian Sea”.
Last Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed to the Trident Juncture 2018 exercises a clear ” anti-Russian tendency ” and warned that these “negatively influence security”.
In addition, the Minister of Defense of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, denounced that the massive military practice of the Atlantic forces aims to strengthen the presence of NATO on the western flank of the Eurasian country, under the alleged ” Russian threat “.
