RAF fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft 96 times in the last ten years, new figures show.

Typhoons based at RAF Lossiemouth have launched multiple times to escort bombers and jets away from British airspace in recent months.

The Moray airbase is home to one of the UK's two quick reaction squadrons, which are permanently on alert and ready to fly in minutes.

More than half of 179 launches from RAF bases at Lossiemouth and Coningsby between 2005 and 2015 were in response to Russian aircraft, according to Ministry of Defence figures.

The number of launches rose dramatically in 2007 after Russian President Vladamir Putin reinstated a policy of carrying out regular long-range patrols in European airspace.

The latest incident happened in November, when Typhoons intercepted two Russian bombers near UK airspace. It followed similar operations in September, April, and May last year.

Russian aircraft are not thought to have entered UK airspace during any of the most recent incidents.