A Russian IL-20 COOT spy plane has been tracked near Alaska for the fourth time in less than a week. This has caused the United States to repeatedly scramble its fighter jets. The recent detections started on August 20, with more instances on August 21, August 24, and the most recent one on Tuesday. Every time, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, has sent its own aircraft to monitor the Russian reconnaissance plane.
According to Fox News, these repeated actions are not considered a direct threat by NORAD, but they highlight the military posturing in a region that has major geopolitical importance. This is especially true in light of recent diplomatic talks between the United States and Russia. The incidents happened within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, which is a designated area of international airspace where aircraft are expected to be identified for national security reasons.
In response to the most recent detection, NORAD scrambled an E-3 Sentry, two F-16s, and one KC-135 tanker. The Russian aircraft stayed in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. NORAD describes this type of Russian military activity in the Air Defense Identification Zone as something that happens regularly, but the frequency of four intercepts in one single week is unusual.
Russia keeps pushing its spy planes close to the United States
Earlier this year, Russian aircraft were detected in the zone in April and two times in February, with another encounter in July. In every one of these instances, the Russian planes remained in international airspace. The increased military presence in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone happens at the same time as recent and controversial diplomatic efforts between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On August 15, the two leaders met in Alaska at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson to talk about a potential end to the war in Ukraine. During the meeting, President Trump reportedly planned to offer a package of economic incentives aka Alaska’s resources to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire. These proposals have been met with criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans. One notable critic was former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger, who posted on X, “so hang on…. Trump is going to offer to open up F*** ALASKA TO THE RUSSIANS?? Wow. Let’s see republicans defend this.”
The amount of Russian and US aircraft flying right now in Alaskan airspace that you can’t see on ADSB but you can hear on @liveatc is just wild.
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) August 15, 2025
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HOOK and BYTE are the Tankers, LINK? Is probably fighters and ROMEO… pic.twitter.com/2zO1zsvfBY
They allegedly included granting Russia access to Alaska’s valuable natural resources, lifting certain United States sanctions on Russia’s aircraft industry, and giving Russia access to rare earth minerals in Ukrainian territories that are currently under its control. Trump had said, “We’re going to see what happens with our meeting. We have a big meeting. It’s going to be very important for Russia and very important for us. As far as rare earth, that’s very unimportant. I’m trying to save lives.”
The economic package is also concerning; Ukraine’s valuable rare earth mineral reserves, with two-thirds of the world’s lithium deposits located in areas now under Russian control. The proposed lifting of export bans on equipment for Russian planes has also been criticized, because Russia’s aviation industry has faced serious challenges under international sanctions.
