The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) spotted three Russian military aircraft without transponder signals in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft were identified as two Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and one Ilyushin Il-20.
The Russian aircraft were observed without transponder signals by both German and British Eurofighters. The incident occurred during daily flight operations in the region, and it was considered a normal occurrence by the Swedish Defence Forces.
“We have a good situational picture of the immediate area, we know which units are moving here,” says the Swedish Armed Forces’ spokesperson Andrea Wahlberg Scott. “There are daily flight operations in our immediate area. It is completely within the normal picture and nothing that stands out from us.”
The Russian planes were accompanied by Eurofighters from the two NATO allies. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own combat aircraft. The NATO military alliance has been securing Baltic airspace in northeastern Europe since 2004. Allies regularly deploy fighter jets and personnel to the Baltic states bordering Russia. In early April, after eight months of service, the German military handed over command of the NATO air surveillance mission to Britain. The German Air Force will continue to support Britain until the end of the month.
In a leaked document, it has been revealed that Russia plans to establish organisations that promote Russian interests and sponsor politicians loyal to Russia to restore its influence in the Baltics, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which are NATO and EU members.
The leaked documents show a strategy to reduce NATO’s presence and influence in the region while increasing Russia’s. Meanwhile, the Baltic states are preparing to disconnect from the Russian power grid.