Russian warplanes have been detected flying near Alaska for the ninth time this year, US authorities have said.

The US and Canada scrambled fighter jets to identify and intercept four Russian military planes in Alaska’s Air Defence Identification Zone on Wednesday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The zone is not part of US or Canadian airspace but rather an area of international airspace with special rules.

Aircraft entering the space must identify themselves or domestic military planes will be launched to confirm identification.

NORAD said the squad of Russian planes consisted of two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets.

In a statement, it added that such activity near Alaska occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat. Earlier this week, Nato

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