NATO jets scrambled four times last week to intercept Russian aircraft

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

On July 21, NATO air policing jets took off twice to intercept Russian aircraft. In one instance, they identified two TU-22M bombers and two SU-35S fighter jets flying in international airspace from mainland Russia to mainland Russia. The same day, a Russian SU-30SM fighter jet was also intercepted, flying from the Kaliningrad region to the Kaliningrad region in international airspace.

On July 23, NATO jets scrambled to identify a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft flying from mainland Russia to the Kaliningrad region. Two days later, another IL-20M was intercepted, this time flying from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia.

All intercepted aircraft were flying without transponders, lacked flight plans, and did not maintain radio contact with the Regional Air Traffic Control Centre (RSVC).

NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic states began in March 2004, following Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia’s accession to the alliance. Since then, military personnel from Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, the UK, Spain, the US, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Germany, and Italy have conducted patrols in Baltic airspace.