On January 21 – 27 NATO fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled twice to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
On January 21 NATO air policing aircraft intercepted one IL-20 flying from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia with its onboard transponder off, without the flight plan, keeping radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On January 24 NATO fighter jets intercepted two SU-27s flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad without using their onboard transponders, without the flight plans, and without keeping radio contact.
Related photo, credit: Filip Modrzejewski
