RUSSIAN military planes flying close to UK airspace off the Bournemouth coast have been labelled “dangerous and provocative”.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood was speaking out after the Foreign Office said the presence of the Russian Bears had caused ‘disruption to civil aviation’ by flying close to UK airspace on Tuesday.

The incident sparked a response by NATO to escort the Russian jets away.

While the two Russian Tu-95 Bears did not enter sovereign UK airspace, the incident has been described by the Foreign Office as part of an ''increasing pattern of out-of-area operations by Russian aircraft''.

RAF Typhoons were despatched from two RAF bases to escort the Russian jets out of the UK area of interest.

Mr Ellwood, who is a foreign office minister, told the Daily Echo: “It was a very dangerous and provocative development.

“The aircraft were not squawking, nobody could see them and therefore other aircraft had to be diverted.

“It is also the first time that they have come around the whole of Ireland and down to the south coast.

“Sadly it is a regular occurrence in the North East but the first time they have come this way and started on up the coast towards Hastings.

“It is a pattern of behaviour that we are seeing from Putin. This is why because of his attitude in supporting the rebels in Ukraine, sanctions against him will continue.”

On Tuesday the Daily Echo reported USAF F-15 Eagles had also been scrambled to escort the planes.

Mr Ellwood said the response was part of a “very well-rehearsed NATO response when hostile aircraft are involved.”

“I understand other countries were involved as part of the response to escort the aircraft away.”

Calling Putin ‘unpredictable’, he said there were a number of scenarios the situation could be attributable to.

“This is an advance of a development which is unprecedented”, he added.

Russia's ambassador was summoned to account for the incident.

  • A former RAF pilot has suggested the presence of Russian military planes close to UK airspace could be linked to the Litvinenko inquiry.

Andrew Brookes, a fellow of defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, said he wondered about the timing of their arrival.

Mr Brookes told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “They are basically strutting their stuff around the globe.

''Litvinenko ... I just wonder sometimes whether because of the timing of that inquiry this is somehow associated with that.

''Just to say 'you might have your way of doing things, but don't forget we can still project our power the way we want to do it'.

''There is no threat, but it's a massive disruption. It's basically two fingers from the Russians.''