Russia says Britain requested permission for spy plane to fly over Russia

Russia's Defence Ministry

MOSCOW, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that Britain has requested permission for its RC-135 spy plane to fly over Russia, a move it termed "a deliberate provocation".

A U.K. Ministry of Defence source denied that Britain had asked permission to fly a spy plane over Russia.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that Russia's airforce had been tasked with preventing any violations of Russian airspace.