North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces deployed several aircraft to intercept Russian bombers and fighter jets flying over the Baltic Sea in an impressive display of power on Monday.
French Rafales took off from a Lithuanian air base and joined fighter jets from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania to intercept the hostile aircraft; However, no aerial engagement occurred as the Russian aircraft remained in the airspace over neutral waters.
The French detachment, stationed in Lithuania as part of NATO’s air surveillance effort, said its planes were monitoring Russian aircraft, adding: “The Russian mission included 10 fighter jets taking turns escorting two supersonic Tu-22M3s.”
In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the flight of its bombers lasted more than four hours and occurred in neutral airspace.
The ministry said: “All flights of aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are carried out in strict compliance with international standards for the use of airspace.”
It added that its planes carry out regular flights in international airspace over the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as the Pacific, the Arctic and the North Atlantic Ocean.
NATO’s powerful display of air power comes after United States (US) President Donald Trump called the alliance a “paper tiger” due to its refusal to participate in US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.
The incident comes just a week after British Royal Air Force planes scrambled to intercept unidentified aircraft approaching British airspace. However, no interception occurred as the plane remained outside UK airspace.
