Dramatic moment The Russian SU-35 fighter jet intercepts two US B-52 nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea

This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter jet intercepted two US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea just days after an American drone was shot down.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said a single Su-35 was scrambled to hit the B-52 strategic bombers flying towards Russia’s border on Monday, but that it returned to base after it collapsed after a tense standoff had removed.

The development came as Moscow said it had flown two of its own nuclear bombers for more than seven hours over the Sea of ​​Japan, in a statement released as Japan’s prime minister began a surprise visit to Ukraine — and as China’s prime minister Xi Jinping made his continued own visit to Moscow.

Russia’s Tupolev Tu-95MS aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and Moscow regularly flies them over international waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific as a show of strength and as an intimidation tactic.

It also followed the March 14 crash of a US military surveillance drone in the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the US since Russia invaded Ukraine.

This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter jet intercepted two US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea just days after an American drone was shot down

Dramatic footage allegedly taken by the Su-35 on Tuesday appeared to confirm this. In the video, captured at close range, one of the two American planes could be seen hovering above the clouds (pictured).

Two US B-52 Stratofortress aircraft (left) were intercepted by a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 (right). So they stack up against each other

“On March 20, radars of the Western Military District Air Defense Forces on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying towards the state border of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in the Telegram messaging app.

The targets were said to be US Air Force B52H strategic bombers.

Dramatic footage allegedly taken by the Su-35 on Tuesday appeared to confirm this. In the close-up video, one of the two American planes could be seen hovering above the clouds.

The two US planes had previously been escorted by Polish fighter jets.

Flightradar24 plotted the route of a B52 Stratofortress bomber across Europe on Monday and said it was flying at 26,500 feet. The route ran south to north across Spain, circumnavigated France and then flew over Britain.

It then went out into the North Sea, traversed Denmark, flew up into Sweden and then down to Poland before following the Baltic Sea to Estonia before turning back on itself to fly back to Sweden.

Russia said a Su-35 fighter jet blew up to prevent a border violation, adding: “After the foreign military aircraft departed from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter jet returned to its base airfield.”

The ministry said the Su-35’s flight strictly complies with international rules on the use of airspace. “No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was allowed,” it said.

Tensions between Washington and Moscow are at their highest post-Cold War levels as Vladimir Putin continues his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine has been heavily backed by the US and its NATO allies, with Russia accusing America of waging a proxy war in Ukraine.

The Su-35 and B-52 incident comes a week after two Russian fighter jets shot down a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea by dumping fuel on it.

The US has criticized Russia for the “reckless” and “unprofessional” attack on an incident involving US military installations over international waters. Later, the US European Command released footage showing the Russian fighters shooting down the drone.

In the clip, one of two Russian jets can be seen flying toward the drone before turning upward, dumping fuel on it as it passes. It is understood that US service members stationed in Germany watched in horror a live broadcast as the event unfolded.

Amid escalating tensions, there have been fears for months that an incident in or over the Black Sea could lead to an escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, which some analysts say could extend beyond NATO borders.

Another incident that has heightened tensions in Europe are the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipeline – which connected Germany to Russia’s gas supply before the war – with both sides pointing fingers at the other.

Who exactly is behind the attack remains a mystery, the investigation is still open.

Meanwhile, Moscow has been working to salvage the wreck from the sea after claiming to have won the race for its location.

Russia also said Tuesday it had flown two of its own strategic nuclear bombers — nuclear-capable Tu-95MS “Bears” — over the Sea of ​​Japan.

Pictured: The two US nuclear bombers are escorted by a Polish fighter jet

Pictured: A map showing the route of one of the two US B-52 combers over Europe

Pictured: A clip from a video showing a Russian fighter jet shooting down a US drone last week

The timing of the final flight seemed clearer than usual as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was later expected to visit Kiev to show solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the war against Russia.

Japanese national broadcaster NHK showed Kishida boarding a train in the Polish town of Przemysl near the Ukrainian border.

Russia said the strategic bombers carried out a “planned flight” escorted by warplanes. The Ministry of Defense said it was carried out in strict compliance with international law and over neutral waters.

In February, North American air defense forces were dispatched to intercept several Russian strategic bombers and fighter jets flying over international airspace near Alaska.

Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with Moscow over North Pacific islands dating back to the end of World War II, is a key Asian ally of the United States and a member of the Group of Seven Rich Democracies and has joined Western sanctions against Russia.

Kishida’s trip to Ukraine also coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow. Washington has denounced Xi’s visit, saying the timing, just days after an international court indicted Putin on war crimes charges, indicated Beijing was providing Moscow with a “diplomatic cover” for committing more crimes.

The development came as Moscow said it flew two of its own Tu-95MS nuclear bombers (pictured, file photo) for more than seven hours over the Sea of ​​Japan, in a statement released as Japan’s prime minister made a surprise visit to the Ukraine began

It was Xi’s first trip abroad since he received an unprecedented third term last month. The Chinese leader has tried to portray Beijing as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, even as it deepens economic ties with its closest ally.

Putin and Xi greeted each other as a “dear friend” when they met in the Kremlin on Monday, and Russian state news outlets later reported that they held informal talks for nearly four and a half hours, with more official talks scheduled for Tuesday.

In TV commentaries, Putin told Xi he viewed China’s proposals to resolve the Ukraine conflict with respect. He confessed to being “slightly jealous” of China’s “very effective system for developing the economy and strengthening the state”.

For his part, Xi praised Putin and predicted that Russians would re-elect him next year.