Russia Denies Intrusion of Japanese AirspaceThe Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday denied reports on violation of Japan's airspace by Russian combat plane."There was no violation of Japanese airspace," said Colonel Nikolai Baranov, head of the Defense Ministry's mobile press center, "If necessary, the Russian side is ready to give airborne monitoring data." The Japanese Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day that a Russian military plane had violated Japan's airspace in the prefecture of Aomori on the northeastern edge of Honshu. According to national Itar-tass, military officials in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East region, also denied the allegation, saying local air defense troops monitored the sky of the area all day and found no violation of Japanese airspace. In February, Japan also voiced protest over an alleged intrusion of its airspace by four Russian bombers near the island of Rebun, but Moscow denied the accusation. |
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