NATO fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Monday, 20 April, in a coordinated air-policing mission. The operation involved multiple allied jets deployed to monitor and track the Russian formation.

According to the Associated Press, French Dassault Rafale fighters were scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania as part of NATO’s long-running Baltic Air Policing mission.

The French detachment confirmed that Rafales armed with air-to-air missiles joined aircraft from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, and Romania. Together, they took to the skies to inspect and keep watch on the Russian flight.

The Russian mission included two supersonic Tu-22M3 bombers, accompanied by around ten fighters, including Sukhoi Su-30s and Su-35s. These fighters took turns escorting the larger strategic bombers during the flight.

The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the long-range bombers’ flight was scheduled and took place over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. The mission lasted more than four hours, according to the ministry’s Telegram channel.

“At certain stages of the route, the long-range bombers were accompanied by fighters of foreign states,” the ministry said, as quoted by AP. It added that crews of long-range aviation regularly conduct flights over neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, as well as the Baltic and Black Seas. The statement emphasised that all flights of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace.

The Baltic Air Policing mission has been in place since 2004, when Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined NATO. It has intensified significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reflecting heightened tensions in the region.

This latest interception also comes amid renewed strains between Washington and its NATO allies under President Donald Trump. He has repeatedly criticised the alliance over burden-sharing and questioned its value.

Trump has pressed European members to sharply increase defence spending and has at times suggested that the United States could reconsider its commitment to NATO. These remarks have unsettled allies already grappling with Russia’s war in Ukraine.

At the same time, NATO members including Britain and France refused to take part in the US plan to blockade Iranian ports, after declining to support Washington’s military initiatives in the Middle East.

Earlier in March this year, NATO fighter jets also intercepted and escorted two Russian Air Force Su-24D aircraft flying in international airspace near NATO borders. NATO Air Command confirmed the interception on 12 March, underscoring the frequency of such encounters.

AP