Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday that Moscow would respond to any future incursions into its airspace “extremely harshly.”
He also said that any aircraft that illegally flies into Russian airspace would be considered “hostile.”
Shoigu warned that Russia would take appropriate measures to protect its sovereignty.
The minister’s remarks came following a series of incidents of foreign military aircraft entering Russian airspace. In April, Finland alleged that Russian fighter jets had flown through its airspace.
Shoigu said that Russia was beefing up its air defense capabilities to protect its borders and that he had personally ordered the deployment of the latest S-400 air defense systems to the western part of the country.
Shoigu said that the country was working on improving the effectiveness of its air defense system by integrating it into a single system. He also said that the country was working on modernizing technological capabilities to better track aircraft in its airspace.
Shoigu’s comments come as tensions between Russia and the West remain high over the conflict in Ukraine and other issues.