NATO fighter jets were urgently launched on Christmas Day to intercept and escort a pair of Russian nuclear-capable bombers flying near UK airspace, in a move widely seen as a deliberate provocation by Vladimir Putin.
Details of the Christmas Day Flight
The aircraft involved were two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, known by their NATO reporting name 'Bear'. According to Moscow's defence ministry, the long-range aircraft completed what it termed a 'scheduled flight' lasting more than seven hours over what it described as the neutral waters of the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea.
The venerable Tu-95, a four-engine turboprop design, first flew in 1952 and entered service with the Soviet Long-Range Aviation in 1956. Despite its age, it remains a key part of Russia's strategic arsenal and has been used extensively in the conflict in Ukraine, launching devastating conventional cruise missile strikes from a distance.
The NATO Response and Escort
In response to the bombers' flight path, which approached northern Britain, NATO swiftly scrambled fighter jets to shadow the Russian aircraft. The specific nation that launched the interceptors, reported to be Su-33 jets, was not officially confirmed. The escort mission was a standard procedure to monitor the bombers and ensure they did not enter sovereign airspace.
This aerial encounter follows a massive and deadly Russian assault on Ukraine just days before Christmas, involving a barrage of 673 missiles and drones. That attack, which killed at least three people including a child, targeted civilian housing and critical infrastructure.
A Pattern of Provocation
The Christmas Day flight fits a long-established pattern of Russian long-range aviation probing NATO air defences, particularly during Western holidays. Such manoeuvres are interpreted by military analysts as demonstrations of reach and capability, designed to test response times and signal Moscow's military prowess.
The incident underscores the ongoing high tensions between Russia and the NATO alliance, exacerbated by the nearly two-year-long full-scale war in Ukraine. The use of the Tu-95, a aircraft synonymous with the Cold War, adds a symbolic layer to the provocation, harking back to decades of strategic posturing.
