The violation of the South Korean KADIZ-Korea Air Defense Identification Zone by Russian fighter jets and bombers respectively continues unabated. On August 19, 2020, six Russian aircraft violated KADIZ, resulting in them being intercepted by South Korean fighter jets.
These Russian aircraft then continued to breach the Japanese Reconnaissance/Air Defence Zone, where they were also intercepted by corresponding Japanese fighter jets.
In 2019 alone Russian fighters and bombers violated KADIZ twenty times. Violations are of course not a random event since all of them take place near the Dokdo/Takeshima islands in the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
Photo by the website www.thediplomat.com
These islands have been the subject of rivalry between South Korea and Japan for at least 300 years. These islands are also strategic in nature because they control the northern trade routes from the north to the south coast of Asia. In addition, it is rich in natural resources mainly natural gas, and holds rich marine areas of abundant fishing.
Russia considers this region to belong to international waters and for this reason its aircraft KADIZ violations show that it does not recognize South Korea’s KADIZ.
Under International Law, a country (in this case South Korea) is given to invoke security reasons and unilaterally declare an area as an ADIZ-Air Defence Identification Zone, within which anything flying without permission from that country is considered a threat and can therefore be recognized and intercepted.
But the fact that Russian bombers were also sent in addition to Russian fighter jets also demonstrates Russia’s willingness to provide an answer to the recent flights conducted by American bombers near the Korean peninsula before and during planned military exercises between the US and South Korea in the region.
The fight between China and Russia over the US and their allies (Japan, South Korea) in the region is expected to increase soon and at least until the US Elections in November.
