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How usual/unusual is this nowadays?

Im not certain pf the frequency of these “close encounters”

Depends. Does the UK have an “oppressed Russian minority?”

Apparently it is not that unusual. WIKI even has a picture depicting this very scenario.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Tyhoon_Russian_Intercept.jpg

Nothing unusual about it. The number of flights are nowhere near the levels of the Cold War. Since the Russians restarted these flights on a regular basis it results in under 12 flights per year into the Atlantic and North Sea. The Russians are very late this year as the last mission into the North Sea area was back in September 2013.

UK figures for recent years intercepts.

Parliament - Written Answers to Questions 24th January 2013

Thursday 24 January 2013 Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions Royal Air Force aircraft have been launched to monitor Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace in each of the last three years; and where each such flight was (a) directed and (b) scrambled from.

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)

Royal Air Force quick reaction alert (QRA) aircraft are based at RAF Leuchars and RAF Coningsby. The number of days on which QRA aircraft have launched in response to Russian military aviation that approached or entered the NATO air policing area for which the UK has responsibility in the each of the last three years is contained in the following table. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace at all times. Not every launch resulted in an interception as some incidents were resolved prior to interception.

Number of days QRA launched in response to Russian military aviation

2010 11

2011 10

2012 8