MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Russian aircraft made no territorial airspace intrusions during their flights over the Sea of Japan, Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said at a meeting with South Korean Ambassador to Moscow Lee Suk-bae on Thursday.

"In the course of the discussion of the issue related to the flight by long-range aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Force over the Sea of Japan on July 23, the Russian side stated that the airspace of foreign states was not violated, as is indicated by recording equipment data, and the Russian pilots acted in strict compliance with the provisions of international law," the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that sides at the meeting highlighted the need to consolidate Russian-South Korean interaction and cooperation, including at the defense level.

The sides also discussed their stances on issues on the bilateral agenda and the developments on the Korean Peninsula.

The incident over the Sea of Japan

Two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95MS and two Chinese strategic bombers Xian H-6 conducted a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea on July 23. The planes did not violate the borders of other states while passing the route. However, according to South Korea, a Russian plane breached the republic’s airspace near the Dokdo (Takeshima) islands, which are disputed by Seoul and Tokyo. In response, South Korea’s F-15 and F-16 fighter planes were scrambled. It was stated that the fighter aircraft made warning shots at the Russian plane.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that South Korea’s aircraft made unprofessional maneuvers near the Russian planes, in particular crossed their course. No warning shots were released at the Tu-95MSs.