Eleven Chinese and Russian warplanes entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) this morning. This forced Seoul to deploy its fighter jets to monitor the situation, reports Reuters, citing South Korea's Yonhap news agency, BTA reports.
Entry without violation of airspace
Despite entering the ADIZ, Russian and Chinese aircraft reportedly did not violate South Korea's official airspace. After some time they left the area without escalating the situation.
Joint patrolling over the Sea of Japan
Chinese state television said earlier that the incident was part of the ninth joint strategic air patrol by the Chinese and Russian armed forces over the "relevant airspace" on the Sea of Japan. This is part of the annual plan for military cooperation between the two countries.
Previous operations in the region
This is not the first case of joint actions in sensitive areas. In July, Chinese and Russian strategic bombers patrolled near the US state of Alaska in the North Pacific and the Arctic. Then the US and Canada were also forced to send their fighter jets, which highlighted the growing tension in the region.
The joint air operations between China and Russia show a strengthening of their military cooperation, which has implications for security in Asia and other key regions. South Korea remains on high alert in response to such actions in its air defense zone.