Germany has put its air force fighter jets into the air to intercept a Russian spy plane that was spotted over the Baltic Sea off its coast.
What is known about the interception of a Russian military plane
The German Air Force reported that the patrol was lifted from the Laage Air Base in northeastern Germany after detecting a Russian military aircraft in international airspace near Rügen, the air force said in a statement.
The German fighter jet escorted the Russian plane before it turned east, the agency added.
The Il-20M military plane was flying without a transponder signal, the German Air Force said.
What preceded it
It was previously reported that in 2023, NATO air forces in Europe took to the air more than 300 times to intercept Russian warplanes approaching the Alliance's airspace, with most interceptions taking place over the Baltic Sea.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO significantly strengthened its air defence on the eastern flank, including by increasing the number of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and ground-based air defence assets.
After repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure located very close to NATO territory, the members of the Alliance have transferred additional fighter jets to Romania.
In October, after the breakthrough of an underwater pipeline in the Baltic Sea, NATO sent additional forces and assets to the region.
