German air force says Russian aircraft intercepted over Baltic Sea

The German air force said on Wednesday (April 26) that Germany and Britain intercepted three Russian military reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.TheGerman air force wrote on Twitter: "Reconnaissance flights intercepted. German and British Eurofighters were alerted to identify three military aircraft."

"The two SU-27 Flankers and an IL-20 from Russia were flying again without transponder signals in international airspace over the Baltic Sea," the tweet added.

News agencies have mentioned that Germany participates in monitoring the air space over the Baltic states as it is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member. In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, security has been heightened for the Baltic states.

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The military jets of Russia have repeatedly strayed into the airspace over the Baltic Sea in recent months andRussian military aircraft also fly from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad and back regularly. It means that such encounters are fairly routine in the region.

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The Norwegian air force also made similar claims as it said that it had similarly identified a group of Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Barents Sea to the north of the country.

The air force said on Facebook that the aircraft included two Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, two Il-78 Midas aerial refuelling tankers and three MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets.

News agencies have mentioned that Germany participates in monitoring the air space over the Baltic states as it is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member.

In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, which started last year in February, security has been heightened for the Baltic states. The military jets of Russia have repeatedly strayed into the airspace over the Baltic Sea in recent months.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said that two Tu-160 strategic missile carrier bombers completed a planned, more than 14-hour flight over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas.

The ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app: "During the flight, the crews of long-range aviation aircraft carried out night and day refuelling in the air. Fighter escort was provided by the crews of the MiG-31 aircraft of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Northern Fleet."

News agency Reuters reported that Germany handed over responsibility for NATO's Baltic air policing mission to Britain earlier this month and NATO allies pitch in to protect the air space there because Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia do not have their own fighter jets.

(With inputs from agencies)

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