What did Putin say about the Swiss fighter jet approaching the Russian plane?

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the two F/A-18 fighter jets flying alongside the Russian aircraft for seven minutes over Swiss territory was an act of "honorary escort" by Bern.

Photo: RIA Novosti

"We view the incident on November 19 as an act of honorary escort by Swiss fighter jets," Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters after the APEC summit in Peru.

Earlier, on November 19, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the incident occurred in Swiss airspace, at a time when a delegation of Russian state officials was en route to Peru for the APEC summit.

Among the officials on board the plane were Alexander Fomin, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), and several journalists.

Subsequently, the Swiss Ministry of Defence also confirmed that two F/A-18 fighter jets had flown alongside the Russian aircraft for seven minutes over Swiss territory.

The Swiss Ministry of Defence claims that these checks are conducted 400 times a year to re-identify aircraft belonging to foreign governments.

"It's like police patrols on the streets, checking a car to make sure it hasn't been stolen," a Defense Department spokesperson said.

According to TPO