On 21st September, two Eurofighter jets of the German Air Force were sent out to intercept a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance flight that had entered neutral airspace above the Baltic Sea. The aircraft was on its way with active flight plan radio communications, which is enough for NATO’s rapid reaction alert to scramble.
Following successful visual confirmation and the German pilots handed the mission over to their Swedish NATO counterparts and returned to their home base in Rostock-Laage. The German response came barely two days before the North Atlantic Council of NATO was to convene for a high-level meeting on airspace violations by military jets from Russia in Eastern Europe.
Estonia Becomes Latest NATO Member Reporting Airspace Violation
The German interception comes just after Friday’s incident when three Russian MiG-31s are alleged to have violated Estonian airspace. The jets maintained their presence in Estonian territory for around 12 minutes before being ordered to leave.
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The Estonia demanded urgent consultations from its NATO partners for this incident to fall under the provisions of the alliance’s mutual defense protocols. and this latest episode is part of a disturbing pattern suggesting increased attempts by Moscow to test NATO’s air defense systems.
Poland & Romania Have Reported Russian Drone
Airspace violations near the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone flared up in September. On 9th September, Poland confirmed having downed Russian drones that had drifted into its airspace route to Ukraine. This lethargic defense is sent to be the first recognition of violations since the launch of Russia’s nationwide invasion back in 2022.
Romania for its part suffered a similar violation of its airspace just days later, on 14th September by another Russian drone acts could well be heralding an escalation of sorts and drawing NATO nations nearer to the line of direct involvement.
NATO Reaction as Western Presidents Press for Common Action
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky charged Russia with deliberate provocation of NATO countries, asserting that the incidents are parts of a wider aggression. The UK did subsequently affirm that its fighter jets were launched over Poland on 20th September, in reaction to threats posed by drones thereby strengthening NATO’s collective defense posture.
Moscow has dismissed the violations and maintains that it does not intend to target NATO territories. The airspace violations have become a recurring flashpoint and exposing an ever-widening gulf between European leaders increasingly urgent tone and the comparatively measured tone of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
