On Wednesday, the South Korean military confirmed that multiple Russian military aircraft briefly entered the country’s East Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday afternoon before leaving. South Korea immediately deployed fighter jets to respond, although the Russian aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Russian military aircraft entered the Air Defense Identification Zone near Dokdo, South Korea’s easternmost island, and the nearby Ulleung Island.
The JCS stated, “South Korean military detected the Russian military aircraft entering the Air Defense Identification Zone in advance and deployed Air Force fighter jets to be prepared for any potential contingencies.”
An Air Defense Identification Zone is not sovereign airspace, but rather an area designated for security purposes, requiring foreign aircraft to identify themselves to reduce the risk of misidentification or accidental conflicts. While it is customary for military aircraft to notify relevant countries before entering another country’s Air Defense Identification Zone, international law does not mandate this practice.
This is the second similar incident within a few weeks. At the end of June this year, nearly 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered the Air Defense Identification Zones in South Korea’s eastern and southern waters, without violating South Korean airspace.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense at the time stated that the Chinese and Russian militaries conducted their 11th “joint strategic air patrol,” covering the Japan Sea, East Sea, and related airspace in the Western Pacific. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that this patrol was part of the annual military cooperation plan and was “not directed at any third country.”
Subsequently, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense strongly protested against the unauthorized entry of Chinese and Russian military aircraft into the Air Defense Identification Zone, urging both countries to take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.
The recent incident comes at a time when the Korean-Russian relations have been under pressure in recent years. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, South Korea has joined Western sanctions against Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow has been steadily strengthening its relations with North Korea.