On December 19–25 fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled once to patrol the Baltic airspace border with Russia and Belarus and four 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 December 19 NATO fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled to intercept one AN-26 flying in international airspace from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia. Its onboard transponder was off, the crew had no pre-field flight plan but was maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On December 19 NATO fighter aircraft were scrambled to identify and escort two SU-24M flying from Kaliningrad and back through international airspace with their onboard transponders off, without the flight plan, not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On December 19 NATO fighter aircraft intercepted two SU-30 flying through international airspace from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad, the crew maintained radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre and had the onboard transponder switched on but no flight plan.
On December 21 NATO fighter aircraft patrolled the airspace over the border of the Baltic states, Belarus and the Russian Federation.
On December 24 NATO air policing fighter jets were scrambled to intercept one SU-27 flying from and back to Kaliningrad through international airspace with its onboard transponder off, no flight plan, not maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
