American fighter jets scrambled Wednesday to intercept four Russian military aircraft operating near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed Thursday. The incident marked the ninth such encounter in 2025, and the third in just the past month.
NORAD said two Russian Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets were detected inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. In response, the U.S. dispatched nine aircraft—including four F-16 fighters, four KC-135 tankers, and an E-3 Sentry command-and-control plane—to identify and escort the Russian aircraft.
The Russian planes stayed in international airspace and never crossed into U.S. or Canadian territory, NORAD stressed, calling the activity routine and not considered a direct threat.
The interception comes as tensions continue to mount between Moscow and the West. Earlier this week, President Trump said Ukraine could reclaim all territory lost to Russia—a sharp contrast to his past calls for Kyiv to accept concessions. NATO, meanwhile, has warned Moscow it will defend its members after Russian drones were downed over Poland and reports of recent airspace violations in Estonia.
Trump also said NATO nations should shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace, though he noted U.S. support would “depend on the circumstance.” Despite Trump’s announcement last month of plans for direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin has shown no interest in such a meeting and continues its assault on Ukraine.