Russian planes fly into NATO airspace

LONDON — British and Norwegian jets intercepted Russian military aircraft on Friday after they breached NATO airspace near the U.K. and Finland, defense officials said.

Finland's prime minister demanded an explanation from Moscow. Interception of Russian warplanes in NATO patrolled-airspace has become increasingly common since the Kremlin ordered strategic bombers to carry out long-range missions for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Russia said it had set up a commission to investigate the Finnish claims, but an official insisted the aircraft had flown over neutral territory.

British fighter jets intercepted two Russian long-range bombers flying in NATO airspace and shadowed them until they charged course, Britain's defense ministry said, without revealing precisely where the incursion took place. The two Tu-160 "Blackjack" bombers were initially intercepted by Norwegian F-16s, defense officials said.

In Finland, authorities said an Ilyushin-76 transporter plane flew about three miles into Finnish airspace for three minutes.

Alexander Drobyshevsky, a Russian air force official, said his government was investigating Finland's claims.

But the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Drobyshevsky as saying Russian planes had "flown over neutral waters without approaching air borders of any foreign nation."

International airspace along the southern Finnish coast is narrow, and officials expected violations, military officials in Finland said.

Last month, Russian bombers approached the Pacific Island of Guam — home to a major U.S. military base — for the first time since the Cold War. In July, Norwegian F-16s were also scrambled when Tu-95s headed south along the Norwegian coast in international air space.

Similar complaints of air violations have been made by Finland's southern neighbors, Estonia and the other Baltic states. In October 2005, a Russian fighter jet crashed in Lithuania.