Khabarovsk - Russian Su-27 and An-12 military planes did not enter Japanese airspace, contrary to what some media have alleged, a source from Russian security forces told Interfax on March 30.
"Russian aircraft performed their duties only over the territory of the Russian Federation," the source said on Wednesday in comments on media reports alleging that Su-27 and An-12 planes equipped with air sampling devices entered Japanese airspace on March 21.
"Two Su-24 and one transport plane An-12 are tasked with air sampling. However, these planes did not exit Russian airspace," he said.
Japanese media reported earlier that Russian military planes had violated Japan’s airspace on March 21.
The Japanese Defense Ministry described the incident as provocative, because it had to engage air defense resources to escort the Russian planes, while a large amount of these resources is currently involved in conducting rescue missions in the earthquake- and tsunami-stricken areas.
