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Britain Scrambles Typhoon Jets to See Off Russian Bombers

A British Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet.

Britain has scrambled Typhoon fighter jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers near British airspace, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

In January, Britain summoned the Russian ambassador to explain a similar episode, when Russian bombers flew over the English Channel, forcing British authorities to reroute civil aircraft.

"The Russian aircraft are being escorted by the RAF (Royal Air Force) in the British area of interest," a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said.

The ministry did not give the location of Tuesday's interception, which comes just three weeks before a knife-edge election in which defence policy has been an issue.

The Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

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