London, July 06 (QNA) - UK fighter jets intercepted a Russian 'Bear-F' maritime patrol aircraft, after it had approached the UK's Carrier Strike Group in the Norwegian Sea.

In a statement, the UK Ministry of Defense said, "the aircraft flew unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales, dropped multiple sonobuoys nearby, and failed to respond on international safety frequencies."

The Ministry described the Russian aircraft's activity as "unsafe and unprofessional."

The incident comes just weeks after British Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel.

The British Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed off the coast of Iceland under NATO command and includes around 1,500 UK military personnel.

This marks the first time NATO has conducted air policing operations from a European aircraft carrier. (QNA)