South Korea scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after at least six Chinese and Russian warplanes were seen enterering its air defence zone, the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Two Chinese and four Russian jets entered South Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) off its east coast on Thursday afternoon, beginning at 11.53am (2.53am GMT) and exiting by 12.10pm, the military said.

The JCS said the planes were detected before they entered the KADIZ and it mobilised the air force’s fighter jets in response, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The planes did not violate South Korea’s territorial airspace, the military said.

It is not the first time that Russian and Chinese planes have jointly entered South Korea’s air defence zone. Similar flights in 2019 led to a significant escalation of tensions with South Korean jets firing hundreds of warning shots towards the Russian and Chinese jets conducting joint exercises.