Russia"s Air Force has denied claims by...

The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Thursday that two RAF Tornado F3 fighters took off on alert after the Russian bombers allegedly intruded the country"s airspace northwest of Scotland. The statement said the planes accompanied the Russian bombers until they left British airspace.

"Tu-160 strategic bombers did indeed make routine flights over the Arctic and Atlantic oceans on March 10, but there were no airspace violations," Russian Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik told RIA Novosti.

Drik added that the Russian Air Force had distributed an official statement on March 12, which said that two Russian Tu-160s had carried out an 11-hour routine patrol mission over the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and were shadowed by four NATO fighters - two NATO F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Norwegian Air Force and two RAF Tornados.

"All flights of Air Force aircraft were and are fulfilled in strict compliance with the international rules on the use of airspace over neutral

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