Moscow claims it has prevented British planes from entering Russian airspace over the Black Sea. In particular, Russia mobilized two Su-27 fighter jets on Thursday to prevent three British warplanes from entering Russian airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said, as cited by Reuters, News.ro reported.

• The ministry in Moscow said Russian fighter jets had been dispatched to intercept “three aerial targets” approaching the border, and identified them as reconnaissance aircraft RC-135 and two Typhoon fighters.

“During the approach of Russian fighter jets, foreign military aircraft moved away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the message reads.

It is not known how close the planes came to each other, Reuters reports.

The Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important theater in the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is now nearing the end of its 20th month.

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he had ordered Russian planes armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to patrol the Black Sea.

Russia has previously reported a series of incidents in which its fighter jets were involved in intercepting warplanes of Norway, another NATO member, over the Barents Sea.