Russia expresses deep regret over South Korean airspace violation

transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and North Asia, the Russia federation has said an intrusion into South Korean territorial airspace was not intentional, according to Seoul’s presidential office, TOPNAIJA.NG reports.

A Russian military official expressed “deep regret” to the South Korean defence ministry and blamed a technical glitch, South Korea said. On Tuesday, Seoul said a Russian warplane had twice violated its territorial airspace. The Russian defence ministry had earlier furiously denied this.

According to South Korea’s Blue House, Russia said the violation was unintended and that it would immediately launch an investigation into the case. This has not been confirmed by Russian officials. On Tuesday Russia’s defence ministry said the plane was part of a joint air patrol by Russian and Chinese warplanes over the Sea and Japan and the East China Sea – the first ever air patrol between the two countries.

China’s defence ministry on Wednesday denied that any of the planes in the patrol entered the territorial air space of any country. South Korea says its jets fired flares and machine-gun warning shots when the Russian plane intruded. It also deployed F-15 and F-16 planes to intercept it. The alleged incursion happened over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan.

Japan has protested both to Russia and South Korea over the incident. Russian and Chinese bombers and reconnaissance planes have occasionally entered the zone in recent years, but this is the first incident of its kind between Russia and South Korea. Russia’s defence ministry initially denied any airspace violation, and said it did not recognise South Korea’s Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ).

Russia also accused the South Korean pilots of “hooliganism in the air”, saying that the patrol had been more than 25km from the Dokdo/Takeshima islands. Lt Gen Kobylash said Russia had complained to South Korea about its crews’ “illegal and dangerous actions”.