NATO fighter jets scrambled after long-range Russian strikes

NATO fighter jets scrambled after long-range Russian strikes

Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets and two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets responded to Russian strikes on western Ukraine overnight.

With switched off transponders, Russian military engines regularly penetrate the international airspace over the Baltic Sea. This time, it is a Moscow reconnaissance aircraft that triggers an alarm launch in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

At the Luftwaffe base Laage near Rostock two interceptors started at noon. The trigger was a Russian military machine without a detection signal.

NATO fighter jets operating as air police in the Baltic States took off twice last week to identify and escort Russian aircraft that violated flight rules, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said on Monday.

Tensions are rising again on NATO's eastern border: Russian drones have approached Romanian airspace. The country has responded immediately.

In 2024, NATO conducted the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise in Eastern Europe. They went on for four months.