3 Russian military aircraft intercepted over the Baltic Sea

Berlin, Apr 26 (EFE).- The German Luftwaffe said on Wednesday that three Russian military planes were intercepted flying over the Baltic Sea.

The air force said that German and British reconnaissance jets were scrambled to identify two Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft and one Ilyushin Il-20 plane belonging to the Russian military.

The Russian military planes “flew without a transponder signal in international airspace over the Baltic Sea,” the German air force tweeted.

Since the three Baltic nations, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – the three NATO members, do not have combat planes, the military alliance has been protecting the airspace in the northeastern region of Europe since 2004.

The allies periodically deploy combat aircraft and personnel on a rotation for the Baltic states bordering Russia.

The German air force handed over the command of the NATO surveillance mission to Britain in April after eight months of deployment.

But the German military will continue to support the successor until they begin the withdrawal in early May. EFE

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