LONDON (Reuters) - Two British fighter jets were dispatched from a Royal Air Force base in Scotland on Saturday after an incursion by Russian jets, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

“Two Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth this morning as part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert in response to two Russian aircraft entering the UK’s airspace,” the MoD said in a statement.

“Both aircraft have now returned safely to RAF Lossiemouth.”

Britain regularly scrambles fighters to intercept Russian aircraft near its airspace. Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO generally have increased in recent years amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.