Shoot Down NATO Fighters to Ensure They 'Never Approach Russian Aircraft'

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and State Duma deputy, has responded to reports about NATO fighter jets attempting to approach a Russian aircraft carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, according to gazeta.ru.

He stated that the lives of high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation should not be put at risk. "Foreign military aircraft approaching Russian planes should be shot down," Zhirinovsky wrote on his Telegram channel. He added that such actions would ensure that alliance fighters would never act that way again.

Earlier reports indicated that Russian Su-27 fighters escorting the minister's aircraft had prevented a NATO F-18 fighter from approaching Shoigu's plane. NATO has responded to the incident, stating in a press release that NATO fighters approached the aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea, which was carrying Minister Shoigu, to ascertain what type of aircraft it was.

“NATO 'air policing' mission aircraft were deployed to identify the aircraft that was close to entering alliance airspace. Once identification was completed, the aircraft returned to base. NATO did not have any information on who was aboard the Russian aircraft,” the release stated.