NATO raised fighter planes; Target: Russian bombers

Two Norwegian planes flew to meet four Russian planes near the airspace belonging to the North Atlantic Alliance. The Russian TU-95 bombers were followed by two Flanker-D aircraft in the far north, but were closely monitored by Norwegian Air Force F-35s.

Major General Øivind Gunnerud, Chief of the Norwegian Air Force, said:

"Our rapid response mission in the Far North is important to our national defense and NATO's collective security. The rapid response capability ensures the security of our airspace and highlights the strength of our allied forces in maintaining peace and stability."

The NATO mission enables nations to intercept, detect and monitor potential threats in order to maintain security.

The arrival of Russian jets near NATO airspace comes just days after it was revealed that two RAF jets were told they would "be destroyed" during the encounter.

Two Typhoon jets escorting an RAF Rivet Joint spy plane have been warned they will be "destroyed" by Russian forces if they continue to fly towards the Crimean peninsula.