The operation comes days after the German Defense Minister warned of a significant increase in Russian provocations in the region
Two Dutch F-35 fighters intercepted Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea on December 6, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced this Monday. The fighters, deployed as part of NATO’s eastern airspace monitoring mission, intercepted a Russian An-72 transport plane and a SU-24 reconnaissance aircraft.
Later, they were called in again to intercept a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance plane. NATO fighters escorted Russian aircraft over international waters to the limit of Atlantic Alliance airspace. “That’s why our military is there: to protect our common airspace against Russian threats,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans wrote in X, referring to the aircraft as “spy planes.”
Dutch F-35s intercepted three Russian aircraft from Estonia over the Baltic Sea.
Russian surveillance and spy planes were driven away.
Proud that our Air Force stands ready to protect our joint NATO air space!
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin)
The operation comes days after the German Defense Minister warned of a significant increase in Russian provocations in the Baltic Sea. “We have repeatedly had incidents in the Baltic Sea that have led to warning shots in the air, warning shots in the water,” he said, referring to incidents in which Russian fighter jets have flown over the Baltic States without identification marks to test NATO’s response,” said Boris Pistorius, adding that the Chinese fleet has also periodically appeared in the region. “This demonstrates the strategic importance of the Baltic Sea for many, especially for Russia and China, including to circumvent sanctions,” he said.
Russian aircraft often operate over the Baltic Sea without any flight plans, actions often interpreted as testing NATO’s response capabilities.
In September, the Latvian Air Force reported that NATO planes intercepted six similar Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
That same month, Latvia confirmed that a Russian Shahed-type drone, equipped with explosives, had crashed on its territory.
The drone, reportedly headed for Ukraine, entered Latvia from Belarus before crashing approximately 85 kilometers from the Belarusian border.
