Above the Black Sea, Moscow announced that its aircraft had been hastily deployed to intercept military planes from the United Kingdom, just one day after the defense ministry of the country declared that Russia had commenced tactical fighter jet drills above the Baltic Sea in order to assess preparedness for engaging in combat and various other unique missions.
Russia’s defense ministry stated on Tuesday that the primary objective of the exercise is to evaluate the preparedness of the flight crew to carry out combat and specific assignments as planned.
The ministry declared on the Telegram messaging channel that the Su-27 crews from the Baltic Fleet discharged airborne weapons at cruise missiles and simulated adversary planes. Russian fighter aviators, who protect the airspace of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, are engaged in continuous combat readiness and simultaneously enhancing their abilities.
Formerly a part of Germany until the conclusion of World War II, Kaliningrad currently stands as the westernmost state of Moscow, situated between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic coastline. This territory, bestowed upon the Soviet Union during the Potsdam Conference in 1945, is home to approximately 1 million inhabitants, primarily consisting of Russians, with a smaller population of Ukrainians, Poles, and Lithuanians.
Russia announced last year that it had deployed hypersonic Kinzhal missiles on the airbase Chkalovsk in Kaliningrad, as part of its strategic deterrence.
On Monday, the Russian defense ministry stated that it had hastily deployed two fighter jets when UK Typhoon warplanes neared its border over the Black Sea. The defense ministry further mentioned that the planes had “reversed their course and moved away from the Russian border” after Russia’s fighter planes intervened. Additionally, the defense ministry reported that the Typhoon jets were escorting an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.
“The Russian aircrafts safely returned to their airbase. There was no breach of the Russian border,” the ministry stated.
Over the past few months, tensions have escalated in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea as Ukraine and Moscow are engaged in a war. Interceptions involving both Western and Russian military aircraft have significantly increased.
As a component of NATO’s “rapid response readiness” to safeguard its eastern European boundary, the RAF fighter jets are presently stationed in Estonia. Within the previous 21 days, the Typhoon fighter planes from the Royal Air Force (RAF), assigned to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia, have been deployed 21 times to intercept Russian aircraft, as declared by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on Sunday.
The UK defense ministry stated on Sunday that the RAF Typhoons are deployed to observe the Russian aircraft when they fail to communicate with air traffic authorities, thereby posing a risk to flight safety.
“NATO’s interceptions serve as a stark reminder of the collective value provided by deterrence and defense,” expressed Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom.