South Korea announced on Wednesday, August 26th, 2026, that it scrambled fighter jets after detecting multiple Russian military aircraft entering its air defence identification zone over the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. This marks the second such incursion in recent weeks.

According to Seoul’s defence ministry, the Russian planes entered and then left the zone without violating South Korean sovereign airspace. The ministry emphasized that South Korea’s military detected the aircraft before they entered the zone and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any contingency, though it did not provide further details.

The relationship between South Korea and Russia has deteriorated since Seoul joined Western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as Moscow has strengthened ties with North Korea.

An air defence identification zone is a buffer area where countries require foreign aircraft to identify themselves for security reasons but does not constitute sovereign airspace.

Sources

South China Morning Post World (Agence France-Presse)