The Russian Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday denied that Moscow had formally apologized over an alleged airspace violation the previous day, after South Korea said that Russia had expressed "deep regret" while blaming an equipment malfunction.
A Russian military aircraft entered airspace near a group of islets claimed by both South Korea and Japan on Tuesday during a long-range joint air patrol by Russian and Chinese aircraft, according to South Korea and Japan, which both scrambled fighter jets in response.
South Korean warplanes fired flares and hundreds of warning shots near the Russian aircraft, and the incident triggered a round of diplomatic protests by countries in the region.