NATO jets scrambled five times to intercept Russian aircraft

NATO fighter jets conducting air policing missions over the Baltic states scrambled five times last week to identify and escort Russian aircraft violating flight rules, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence reported on Monday.

The jets also conducted four patrols along the borders of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Russia and Belarus.

On June 8, allied fighters shot down a drone that had entered Latvian airspace. Two days later, NATO forces scrambled to intercept a Su-34 fighter jet and a Su-24MR attack bomber. The same day, air policing jets also identified a Su-30 fighter and an An-30 reconnaissance aircraft.

On June 11, the jets were scrambled to intercept an Il-20 reconnaissance plane and an An-72 transport aircraft. The following day, NATO air policing forces identified another Su-34 fighter.

On June 13, NATO jets scrambled twice to investigate an object over Lithuanian territory. That day, a military drone was suspected to have entered Lithuanian airspace, prompting an air alert in the Vilnius region. However, the object was later identified as a weather balloon, and the alert was lifted after about 20 minutes.