RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept Russian Tupolev TU 160 fighter jets near UK air space
RAF jets have been scrambled to intercept Russian fighter jets near UK airspace, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has said.
Russian Tupolev TU 160 aircraft are near the UK but not in UK airspace.
The RAF is now escorting the fighter jets across the North Sea.
The British planes were deployed from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire this afternoon.
The MOD said the incident was ongoing.
In 2015 there was a rise in interceptions of Russian jets, according to figures from Nato, with the number rising to to some of the highest seen since the cold war.
A Russian jet was shot down over Turkey in November near the Syrian border.
In 2014 there were more than 500 incidents, with Russian aircraft's accounting for 85 per cent of intercepts. In 2015 that number stood at 300 by August, the latest dates figures are available for.
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