Russian aircraft intercepted over NATO Lake with alarming frequency - media

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the pilots of the country make regular flights over the international waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas. An unnamed NATO representative confirmed that in 2023, the Alliance's air patrol units conducted approximately 200 interceptors of Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea. From January 1 to September 30, about 190 military aircraft were intercepted in the region. Newsweek writes about it.

NATO forces are intercepted by Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea with alarming frequency. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that the pilots of the country make regular flights over the international waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas and the Pacific. After the full -scale invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland were officially named by the NATO countries, and the Baltic Sea was called "NATO Lake".

The Russian military has strategic access to the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean outside it through Kaliningrad. The excluded between Poland and Lithuania, and the port of St. Petersburg, the Baltic Fleet is based here. Many Russian military aircraft have been flying over NATO borders since the start of a full -scale war, including bombers and fighters capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Some were winged rockets.

The interception over the Baltic occurs when the planes of the PCS of the Russian Federation are involved in training or transit between the mainland of the Russian Federation and Kaliningrad. NATO said that much of Russian flight activity is the result of the geographical location of Kaliningrad.

According to the NATO Air Force command, which oversees air patrol missions, fighters rise into the air when the aircraft flies near NATO airspace without the use of transponders, connection with air traffic control or flight plan. NATO supports aircraft patrol mission in five areas of Europe. Among them, the Baltic Sea, Iceland and the Eastern Flang: Poland, Romania and Bulgaria; Benelux countries are Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.