Interesting cockpit video shows a Russian fighter running up on a US B-52 bomber

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Interesting cockpit video shows a Russian fighter running up on a US B-52 bomber

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Su-27 fighter jets fly above a military base in the Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.

Mikhail Palinchak, Presidential Press Service via AP

Su-27 fighter jets over a military base in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, December 6, 2018.

  • Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted US B-52 bombers that approached Russia during a training mission Monday, Russia's Defense Ministry said.
  • Russia released footage of the intercept shot from the cockpit of one of the fighters.
  • The US Air Force said that the training exercises were "necessary" to ensure that the US is able to "respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe."
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Russian Defense Ministry released a video shot from the cockpit of a Su-27 fighter as it raced after a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress heavy, long-range bomber.

Russian fighters were twice scrambled to intercept US bombers approaching the Russian border around the Black and Baltic seas, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to Russian media.

Three B-52 bombers from the US Air Force's 5th Bomb Wing flew from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Eastern Europe in an unusual flight.

The US Air Force released its own statement on recent activities, explaining that "strategic bomber missions enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe."

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Read more: Russia flew bombers off the coast of Alaska twice in 2 days, forcing the US to scramble stealth fighters in response

The US and Russia frequently intercept one another's bombers in Eastern Europe and over the Pacific.

In May, Russian Tu-95 long-range bombers entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) twice in two days. The US scrambled F-22 stealth fighters and intercepted them. Afterward, the US touted its ability to deter and defeat threats.

Two months earlier, it was the Russians intercepting US B-52 bombers flying over the Baltic Sea during a short-term deployment to Europe. Russia accused the US of unnecessarily fanning tensions.

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