NORAD Intercepts Russian Jets on eve of Ukraine war anniversary

On February 14, 2023, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted four Russian aircraft as they flew over international airspace near Alaska. Although the aircraft remained in international airspace and “did not pose a threat [for national security]”, NORAD actions reiterate their surveillance operations on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [1]

NORAD delineated their efforts to intercept the aircraft flying through its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), a designated airspace where aircraft are required to identify themselves in the interest of national security. Two NORAD F-16 fighter jets were deployed to escort the Russian aircraft out of the ADIZ, which was carried out in a “routine and professional” manner. These efforts are contingent on common procedures applied on foreign aircraft movements over international waters. [2]

These incursions into the ADIZ have prompted NORAD to increase military operations across the Bering Sea – the region between Russia and Alaska – as Russia’s military infrastructure expands westward. As the year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine War approaches, neighboring countries – United States of America, Canada, and the Netherlands – are on heightened alert over Moscow’s aerial dominance. [3]

U.S military officials say that “the Russian flights were in no way related to recent incidents where unidentified objects [have been] shot down over U.S. and Canadian airspace.” [4] The presence of aerial incursions depicts a new phase of the Russian-Ukraine War, involving countries associated with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The increased use of aerial shows of defense implicates the United Nations’ stance on what complies with international law and a nation’s right to protect its airspace. Although the ADIZ is not explicitly stipulated in a legal framework, the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS) recognizes the applicability of Article 51 of The United Nations Charter, where states can exercise “their inherent right of individual or collective self -defense, until the Security Council ensures international peace and security.” [5] Such demonstrations of defense will proceed to define themselves as the Russian-Ukraine war continues to unfold.