NATO jets scrambled more than 10 times over Baltic region in one week

NATO fighter jets assigned to Baltic air policing missions were scrambled more than 10 times over the past week, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence stated.

The ministry said that 12 sorties were carried out during the reporting period, with most operations linked to patrol missions along NATO’s external borders. Several specific security incidents were also recorded, LRT reports.

According to the ministry, on May 19 a drone was detected in southeastern Estonia and was subsequently identified and shot down by allied fighter aircraft. On the same day, NATO aviation conducted two additional patrol missions in the border area between Latvia and Estonia.

Between May 17 and May 24, alliance fighter jets were deployed 11 times to monitor the borders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with Russia and Belarus. One additional sortie was carried out to escort an aircraft that had violated flight regulations.

Earlier reports indicated that Lithuania declared an air alert on May 20 following reports of a possible drone entering the country’s airspace. The incident disrupted operations in the Vilnius region and prompted evacuations to shelters, including among senior government officials.

By Vafa Guliyeva