South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday it deployed Air Force fighter jets in response to multiple Russian military aircraft entering its air defence identification zone over the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. The ministry said the Russian aircraft were detected before they entered the zone and that fighter jets were scrambled to prepare for any contingency. It added that the aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace. This was the second such incursion in weeks. Relations between South Korea and Russia have worsened since Seoul joined Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as Moscow has strengthened ties with North Korea.