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Flight routes for Russia’s Su-30s over Baltic Sea in November and December were pre-agreed

The Russian Defense Ministry also confirmed that NATO’s F-15s approached the Su-30SMs during the training missions

© Sergej Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. The flights of Russia’s Su-30SM fighter jets over the Baltic Sea on November 23 and December 13, 2017, were held in accordance with the international air space management rules and their routes were coordinated with air traffic control authorities, the Russian Defense Ministry press service said on Saturday.

"On November 23 and December 13, 2017, the crews of Russia’s Su-30SM fighter aircraft performed scheduled training missions over the Baltic Sea’s neutral waters. The flight route for the Russian fighter aircraft was coordinated with the air traffic control authorities and carried out in strict compliance with the international air space management rules without violating the borders of other states," the report says.

The ministry also confirmed that NATO’s F-15s approached the Su-30SMs during the training missions. "During the training missions, NATO’s F-15 planes approached the Russian fighter aircraft at a safe distance, after which they altered their course and withdrew," the Defense Ministry specified.

On Friday, the Pentagon released a video recording of US aircraft following two Russia’s Su-30 fighter aircraft in the international air space near the Baltic region on November 23 and December 13 last year. The command explained that the decision was prompted, among other things, by the absence of pre-agreed flight plans for the Russian aviation.

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