South Korea Scrambles Fighter Jets After 2 Chinese, 6 Russian Warplanes Enter Air Defense Zone Without Notice

South Korea on Wednesday said it scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defense identification zone (A.K.A. KADIZ) without notice. 

What Happened: Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (J.C.S.) said the warplanes flew across its defense identification zone but did not violate the country’s territorial air, reported Yonhap News Agency.

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The military said at 5:48 a.m., two Chinese H-6 bombers flew into the KADIZ from an area 126 kilometers northwest of Leo Island, a submerged rock south of the southern island of Jeju, and they left the KADIZ at 6:13 a.m. At 6:44 a.m. The bombers reentered the KADIZ from an area northeast of South Korea’s southern port city of Pohang and exited the zone at 7:07 a.m, it added.

After that, six Russian aircraft — four TU-95 bombers and two SU-35 fighters — along with two Chinese H-6 bombers flew into the KADIZ from an area 200-km northeast of South Korea’s Ulleung Island at 12:18 p.m. and exited the zone at 12:36 p.m.

This comes at a time when Seoul is pushing for a stronger alliance with the U.S. amid intensifying China-U.S. tensions. South Korea also opposes the Russia-Ukraine war and has tense relations with North Korea – an ally of Moscow and Beijing. 

According to experts cited by the news wire, Russia and China appeared to have engaged in a joint air exercise.

The South Korean military deployed aircraft, including F-15K jets, in a tactical step against a potential accidental situation. 

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