NATO fighters providing air cover in the Baltic states scrambled five times last week to identify and escort Russian military aircraft, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported on Monday.
On April 20, NATO fighters took off twice to identify and escort two supersonic Tu-22 bombers, as well as two Su-30 and Su-35 fighters. On the same day, an Su-30S fighter was also escorted.
All of them were flying with their radar transponders turned off, without flight plans, and did not maintain radio communication with the Regional Flight Control Center (RFCC).
On April 21, NATO fighters were scrambled to identify and escort an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, which was flying with its transponder turned off, without a flight plan, but was in communication with the RFCC.
On April 22, NATO fighters had to take to the air again to identify and escort two Su-30S fighters, and a Russian passenger aircraft, an Il-18, was also identified.
The NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states is carried out from military airfields in Lithuania and Estonia.
