MOSCOW, September 30 (HS/RIA Novosti) - A US Bombardier ARTEMIS II reconnaissance aircraft circled Russia's Kaliningrad region for nearly five hours on Tuesday, according to flight data reviewed by RIA Novosti.

The aircraft, which took off from Romania around 05:50 GMT, entered a flight path circling the Kaliningrad region at approximately 07:50 GMT and followed this route until 12:35 GMT, when it set a course to the southwest.

The aircraft was converted by the US company Leidos from a business jet to meet the needs of radar reconnaissance. In its military modification, it was designated ARTEMIS II. It is regularly used for flights around the Kaliningrad region and over the Black Sea along Crimea and other southern regions of Russia.

In recent years, Russia has been flagging up NATO's unprecedented activity and buildup of troops near its western borders. The Kremlin has stated that Russia does not threaten anyone, but would not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar