NATO Fighters Intercepted Russian Military Aircraft Over The Baltic Sea when alliance warplanes scrambled to identify a formation that included two Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers and about 10 escort fighters, the alliance and French military officials said.
Fighter jets from France, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania took to the air to monitor the Russian flight, the French detachment said, with Rafale fighters dispatched from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania as part of NATO’s long running Baltic Air Policing mission.
The Russian formation included Su-30 and Su-35 fighters that alternated escort duties, the statements said, and the flight lasted more than four hours according to the Russian Defense Ministry, which called the mission scheduled and conducted over neutral waters.
Context And Reactions
NATO said intercepts are defensive and often necessary because many Russian planes do not transmit identification signals, do not communicate with air traffic controllers or file flight plans, and allied jets are launched to ensure safety and situational awareness.
The Russian Defense Ministry said crews of long range aviation regularly operate over neutral waters and that all flights comply with international airspace rules, and it posted details of the mission on Telegram, the ministry said.
Journalists at Šiauliai Air Base saw French two man Rafale crews race to their jets, start engines and taxi rapidly after being placed on standby, The Associated Press reported, describing how pilots were held ready within minutes if scrambled.
The Baltic Air Policing mission has operated since 2004 after Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO and has intensified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the alliance and news reports said, and Lithuania’s defense ministry said NATO jets were scrambled four times from April 13 to 19 to intercept aircraft that violated flight rules.
The interceptions also come amid renewed strains between Washington and some NATO allies under President Donald Trump, the reporting said, noting his criticism of the alliance and European concerns that his rhetoric could unsettle deterrence even as administration officials stress continued US commitment.
