Became the object of intimidation: Russia seized NATO aircraft over Baltic

Our armed forces will continue to protect the freedom of navigation in international air and sea spaces," the head of the department emphasized. He noted that on January 15, the French aircraft patrols in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea as part of NATO operation. During the mission, the apparatus in the sky became the object of intimidation of Russia, as it was captured by the radar of the Russian air defense system C-400.

According to LE Figaro newspaper, the Atlantic 2 aircraft with AFP journalist on board spent almost five hours off the coast of Sweden and the Baltic countries. In response to cable damage in the Baltic Sea, he watched about 200 vessels, mostly civilians, during which he was "noticed" the "muffling" and "fire control" systems.

The representative of the General Staff of the Army Colonel Guyom Verne said that the "illumination" by the radar of aircraft in international waters is not something exceptional for the Russian Federation, which in a restrained form showed its hostility. The Russian army, according to the military, was not interested in realizing the threat, since the attack on NATO aircraft could provoke a sudden and serious escalation in relations with the Alliance.

At the same time, he emphasized that the professional behavior of the French crew made it possible to avoid any escalation. NATO forces in Europe by American General Christopher Kaoly, in turn, assessed the incident as "very serious", acknowledging that such cases are widespread "quite widely" and far beyond Europe. We will remind, in December 2024 the ship of the Russian Federation opened fire on the helicopter of the Bundeswehr in the Baltic Sea.