“International rule broken”
British intercept Russian planes over Baltic Sea
06/09/2023, 8:24 p.m
Russian planes are rising in Russia and apparently want to reach the Kaliningrad exclave. British fighter jets intercept them over the Baltic Sea because their communication does not comply with international rules. However, NATO airspace remains unaffected.
Britain has dispatched fighter jets to intercept and escort several Russian planes not far from NATO airspace for two days in a row. “The Russian planes failed to comply with international rules by not communicating with the appropriate Flight Information Regions (FIR),” the British Ministry of Defense said. However, the Russian planes remained in “international airspace” during the incidents on Thursday and Friday and “flown professionally,” it said.
On Thursday evening, RAF Typhoon aircraft based in Estonia and Swedish Gripen aircraft were reportedly “mobilized” to intercept two Russian aircraft “flying near Swedish and NATO airspace.”
British fighter jets took off again on Friday morning as Russian planes headed for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The British jets then intercepted Russian planes over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea.
The British airmen later received reinforcements from Finnish army aircraft, the Ministry of Defense said. In addition, Portuguese and Romanian aircraft were involved in the operation.