Response to the aggressive rhetoric of the Russian Federation: why NATO pilots were added to the Baltic

The activity of Russian aviation over the Baltic is due to the increase of Western forces on the eastern borders, as well as the greatest NATO Baltops forces. In addition, the Kremlin is afraid of kaliningrad. Recently, several Russian aircraft have been intercepted by NATO fighters from Germany, Italy and Spain that have taken off from bases in Latvia, Poland and Lithuania.

According to NATO Air Command, the Eurofighter Typhoons and the F-18 fighters intercepts IL-20 scouts and the An-12 cargo planes flying over the Baltic Sea. Army Recognition was told about the reasons for increasing combat aircraft activity in the region. The Alliance noted that these flights occur daily and are not illegal because international air corridors are used over the sea.

However, the incidence of such interceptions has increased significantly, increasing by 20-25% in the first quarter of 2024, and in the current conditions there is an increase in the number of spigos compared to previous years. NATO Air Command predicts the increase in Russia's activity in the sky over the Baltic Sea in June, which is related to Baltops annual exercises, which take place from June 7 to June 20.

These exercises have become the largest in history because they are attended by more than 50 warships, 25 aircraft and 9,000 servicemen from 20 countries. In addition, Sweden, which recently entered NATO, will take part in them, which causes the Kremlin's concern. In Russia, large -scale exercises are seen as evidence of more aggressive NATO behavior.

Thus, the head of the FSB Border Guard Service Volodymyr Kulishov announced the increased intelligence activity of the Alliance in the neighboring Member States from the Russian Federation, and the leading Russian Baltic expert Mykola Mezhevich declared the possibility of NATO attack on Kaliningrad, which would lead to the solution of the third world. Western pilots are now less likely to find Russian fighters and strategic bombers that are approaching the airspace of the Allies.

In most cases, observation aircraft or transport aircraft are intercepted. "The exact cause of the changed behavior of Russia is unclear, but it is suggested that Moscow needs its bombers and fighters in Ukraine, since the fighting there is becoming more intense," experts write. NATO states that Russian military aircraft often do not transmit a transponder code, do not submit flight plans and do not communicate with air traffic controllers, which creates additional risks in the airspace.