To identify and intercept targets in the air were raised fighters of the su-35S and MiG-31BM from the composition of the active-duty air defense forces of the Eastern military district, which, after convergence with the target identified it as a reconnaissance plane of the U.S. air force RC-135.
As emphasized in the defense Ministry, the Russian fighters were accompanied by reconnaissance aircraft at a safe distance. After the American spy plane made a turn and retired from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighters returned to their base. The defense Ministry stressed that all flights of Russian air force carried out in strict accordance with international rules of using airspace over neutral waters.
