Russian media: NATO’s F-18 fighter jet, trying to approach Russian Defence Minister’s plane, belongs to the Spanish Air Force

NATO’s F-18 fighter jet, which was trying to approach a plane of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, belongs to the Spanish Air Force, Spain’s Defense Ministry told Russian news agency TASS on Wednesday.

"The fighter jet, which was spotted on the video, is indeed Spanish, which is under control of NATO," a spokesman for the ministry said.

Russian media reported yesterday that Shoigu’s plane was on the way from Kaliningrad to Moscow with an escort of two Sukhoi-27 fighter jets of the Baltic Fleet on Tuesday. Over international waters of the Baltic Sea NATO’s F-18 tried to approach it but the Russian fighter jets forced it away.

A NATO official explained later that the jets had been scrambled to identify the aircraft, which was flying close to the alliance’s airspace.