On September 26 – October 2 fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled 4 times to intercept military aircraft of the Russian Federation in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea flying in violation of international aviation flight rules.
On September 26 NATO fighter aircraft intercepted one IL-20 flying into the international airspace from the mainland of the Russian Federation and then to Kaliningrad. The aircraft had the onboard transponder off, no flight plan, the crew was maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On September 27 NATO fighter aircraft intercepted two SU-27s escorting one IL-20 flying from Kaliningrad and back via international airspace. Their onboard transponders were off, the crews had no pre-filed flight plans and were not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On September 29 the NATO air policing detachment aircraft intercepted two SU-27s escorting an IL-20 from Kaliningrad into international airspace and back. The crews had not pre-filed flight plans, were not maintaining radio communication and their onboard transponders were not switched on.
On October 1 NAO aircraft were alerted by a meteo probe drifting downwind from Kaliningrad, into the airspace of the Republic of Lithuania and then towards Belarus.
