S Korea's claim on warning shot firings disputed by Russia

South Korean air force jets fired 360 rounds of warning shots Tuesday after a Russian military plane twice violated South Korea's airspace off the country's east coast, Seoul officials said in an announcement that was quickly disputed by Russia.

South Korea said three Russian military planes two Tu-95 bombers and one A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft entered the South's air defense identification zone off its east coast before the A-50 intruded in South Korean airspace. Russia said later that two of its Tu-95MS bombers were on a routine flight over neutral waters and didn't enter South Korean territory.

According to South Korean government accounts, an unspecified number of South Korean fighter jets, including F-16s, scrambled to the area and fired 10 flares and 80 rounds from machine guns as warning shots.

Seoul defense officials said the Russian reconnaissance aircraft left the area three minutes later, but it later returned and violated South Korean airspace again for four additional minutes. The officials said the South Korean fighter jets fired 10 flares and 280 rounds from machine guns as warning shots again.

South Korea said it was the first time a foreign military plane had violated South Korean airspace since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff summoned Russia's acting ambassador and its defense attache respectively to protest. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement that South Korean fighter jets didn't fire any warning shots, though it said they flew near the Russian planes in what it called