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Russia refutes Pentagon claims of intercepting U.S. military plane over Baltic

Xinhua, April 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday refuted Pentagon claims that a Russian aircraft had intercepted a U.S. military plane approaching its border over the Baltic Sea, saying that its jets conducted their mission based on international regulations.

On Friday, the Pentagon said a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane was flying in international airspace and a Russian Su-27 fighter jet had intercepted it in an "unsafe and unprofessional" way.

"All flights of Russian aircraft are carried out in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the U.S. plane was trying to "sneak up to the Russian border with its transponder turned off all the time," so the Russian side had to lift its aircraft to "identify the type of U.S. plane." Endi