UK intercepts Russian aircraft during NATO Arctic mission

The United Kingdom has intercepted a Russian military aircraft after deploying one of its two aircraft carriers to the Arctic Circle as part of an expanded NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance's northern defences, POLITICO reports.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that a Russian "Bear F" maritime patrol aircraft repeatedly approached the HMS Prince of Wales carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea late last week in what it described as an "unsafe and unprofessional" maneuver.

According to the ministry, the Russian aircraft dropped a large number of sonobuoys—underwater acoustic devices used to detect and track submarines—in close proximity to the British aircraft carrier.

The Russian aircraft were intercepted and escorted away by Royal Air Force F-35 fighter jets operating from the HMS Prince of Wales on July 2.

The HMS Prince of Wales, one of the Royal Navy's two aircraft carriers, is the first European aircraft carrier to conduct NATO air defence operations using F-35 fighter jets.

The deployment coincides with Britain assuming command of NATO's Allied Reaction Force (ARF) for the first time. The Ministry of Defence described the multinational force as "the spearhead" of NATO's rapid deployment capability, "able to deploy anywhere in the world within days."

The latest developments come amid heightened tensions between NATO and Russia and increased allied military activity in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.

Last week, reports emerged that Russian President Vladimir Putin's £100 million superyacht was sailing along Norway's coastline on its return journey to Russia.

Speaking to POLITICO, UK Defence Minister Dan Jarvis declined to confirm whether the HMS Prince of Wales was monitoring the vessel but said: "We know where it is."

Jarvis added that the yacht's movement could be interpreted as a sign of mounting pressure on the Russian leader.

"The fact that there's the movement of the yacht, again is another combat indicator — to use an expression from my past — that he [Putin] is increasingly under pressure," he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva