[Comprehensive] Russian Bomber Violates KADIZ Near Dokdo for About 20 Minutes

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 23rd, five military aircraft, including Chinese H-6 bombers, Russian TU-95 bombers, and A-50 early warning control aircraft, illegally entered the East Sea Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) that morning. During this process, one Russian A-50 violated Korean airspace near Dokdo twice for a total of seven minutes. The photo shows a Russian TU-95 bomber.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Two Russian Air Force Tupolev (Tu)-95MS strategic bombers illegally entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on the 19th.

On the 20th, a military official stated, "The Russian bombers intruded into the KADIZ near Dokdo for about 20 minutes starting around 11:50 a.m. that day. In response, our Air Force scrambled F-15K and F-16 fighters to intercept and conducted warning broadcasts toward the Russian military aircraft."

The previous day, the Russian Ministry of Defense Public Affairs Office announced that two of its bombers conducted routine flights over international airspace in the East Sea and the northwest Pacific Ocean. The office said the total flight time of the bombers exceeded seven hours, and during some flight segments, Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters conducted surveillance flights against the Russian bombers. However, our military estimates that there were a total of six Russian aircraft, including the two bombers.

The Public Affairs Office emphasized, "Pilots belonging to the Russian Long-Range Aviation regularly fly over international airspace in the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Pacific Ocean," adding, "All flights by Russian Aerospace Forces military aircraft strictly comply with international law regulations concerning the use of airspace."

Some analysts interpret the flight of six U.S. bombers near the Korean Peninsula on the 17th as a form of pressure or 'show of force' against the U.S. The simultaneous deployment of six U.S. bombers during the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises was highly unusual and is seen as a strong warning message to North Korea and China.

According to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces on the 19th, six bombers?including four B-1B strategic bombers known as the "Death Swans" and two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers?flew over the Korea Strait and near Japan on the 17th after taking off from the U.S. mainland and Guam. Two B-1Bs took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, and the other two from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The B-2s reportedly flew from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, where they were recently deployed, to waters near Japan.

In July of last year, ahead of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises, Russia and China illegally sent five military aircraft?including Chinese H-6 bombers, Russian TU-95 bombers, and A-50 early warning control aircraft?into the East Sea Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ). During this incident, one Russian A-50 aircraft twice intruded into Korean airspace near Dokdo for seven minutes.

The Tu-95 is Russia's representative strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons in emergencies. Along with the U.S. Air Force's B-52 strategic bomber, it is considered a strategic weapon. Since its first flight on November 12, 1952, the Tu-95 has been active for 67 years, and NATO assigns it the identification code "Bear," symbolizing Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.