Overview
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft successively entered and then left the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone without crossing into sovereign airspace.
- The South Korean military detected the formation before entry and scrambled Air Force fighter jets to shadow the aircraft and prepare for contingencies.
- Japan also scrambled jets and tracked the mission, reporting bombers and patrol planes among the formation and noting some aircraft passed near the Miyako Strait.
- Seoul lodged formal diplomatic protests with Beijing and Moscow after the June 27 patrol and summoned military attachés to register its objection.
- Beijing described the movement as the 11th China‑Russia joint strategic air patrol since 2019, a recurring pattern that raises tensions, complicates ADIZ management, and is likely to prompt closer information sharing and readiness among South Korea, Japan and their partners.