The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has reported that the United States and Canada intercepted two Chinese bombers and two Russian bombers operating in international airspace near Alaska. During an operational mission, U.S. and Canadian military aircraft detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers as well as two Chinese H-6 military aircraft within Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Thursday that Russian and Chinese military aircraft conducted a joint air patrol in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean for over five hours. In a statement, the ministry noted that “the aircraft group was escorted by fighter jets from other countries at different points along the route.”

Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Zhang Xiaogang, explained that the strategic joint patrols occurred over the Bering Sea as part of an annual military cooperation plan. He added that the patrol aimed to enhance strategic mutual trust and coordination without targeting third parties and that it had no connection to the current international situation.

NORAD emphasized that the intercepted aircraft did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace and, therefore, were not considered a threat. The binational command stated, “NORAD will continue to monitor competitors’ activities near North America and meet presence with presence.”

To intercept an aircraft refers to military language that means to contact a foreign aircraft using electronic or visual methods. Countries such as the U.S., China, India, and Japan have unilaterally declared ADIZs that require foreign military aircraft to identify themselves upon entering a specific airspace zone. Unlike sovereign airspace, ADIZs are not recognized under international law and are not monitored by any international body.

Russian military activity off the coast of Alaska is not uncommon; in February, NORAD reported the presence of four Russian military aircraft in Alaska’s ADIZ. Additionally, on Sunday, Moscow announced that it had dispatched fighter jets to intercept two U.S. bombers approaching the Russian border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic.