The Russian air force announced on Monday that it had intercepted two NATO aircraft approaching the Russian border across the Baltic Sea, a statement from the Moscow defense ministry said.
“On May 15, 2023, Russian airspace control detected two air targets approaching the state border over the Baltic Sea. To identify the targets and prevent them from violating the border, a Russian Su-27 took off”the ministry explained in the information note.
The Russian fighter crew identified the targets as a German Air Force P-3S Orion and a French Air Force Atlantic-2.
“After the foreign aircraft changed course and moved away from the Russian border, the fighter returned to its base. Violation of the Russian state border was not allowed.”he added.
According to the Russian order, “the fighter’s flight was conducted in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace in neutral waters and without crossing air corridors or making dangerous approaches by foreign aircraft”.
Also this Monday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reported the crash last weekend of several helicopters and Russian military fighter jets in the Briansk region, 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
“Since then, our troops have been on high alert”advanced.
Lukashenko has not been seen in public since he withdrew from Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.7 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.2 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
