A RAF Typhoon leaves RAF Akrotiri on a sortie as part of Operation Shader on December 4, 2015 in Akrotiri, Cyprus.

British Typhoon fighter jets were sent to intercept two Russian bombers heading towards British airspace on Wednesday, a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Defence said.

Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO have increased over the last year amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.