RAF Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Off British Coast (Jan 28 Incident)

Two Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets intercepted two Russian bomber aircraft off the English coast on Wednesday, February 18. The Russian bombers did not enter UK airspace but a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said the jets were escorted by the RAF until they were out of the “UK area of interest.” This footage, released on February 19, shows an earlier RAF interception on January 28, when two Russian military planes flew close to UK airspace.

Zevda, a government-owned Russian television channel, released video they said shows NATO fighter aircraft escorting Russian military aircraft. The video was released early on February 19 but Zevda did not explicitly state when the footage was filmed.

However, based on the lighting conditions and the squadron insignia seen at 0’27" on the RAF jet, Storyful has ascertained that part of this footage shows the January interception. The video appears to show a number of interception incidents, but the UK’s Ministry of Defence said none of the clips shows the February 18 interception. Credit: tvZvezda