NATO air forces intercepted Russian military aircraft over 300 times in 2023

NATO air forces across Europe scrambled well over 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching alliance airspace in 2023, with most intercepts occurring over the Baltic Sea, the treaty organisation said on Friday. NATO has standing air-policing missions that call for Allied jets to scramble when there are signs of Russian military planes approaching Allied airspace in unpredictable ways. “The vast majority of aerial encounters between NATO and Russian jets were safe and professional. Breaches of NATO airspace by Russian military aircraft remained rare and generally of short duration," NATO said, adding most intercepts occurred over the Baltic Sea. “Russia’s war against Ukraine has created the most dangerous security situation in Europe in decades,” said acting NATO Spokesperson Dylan White. “NATO fighter jets are on duty around the clock, ready to scramble in case of suspicious or unannounced flights near the airspace of our Allies. Air policing is an important way in which NATO provides security for our Allies.” In the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO has substantially reinforced its air defences on its eastern flank including more fighter jets, surveillance flights and ground-based air defences. After repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure very close to NATO territory, the allies deployed extra fighter jets to Romania. In October, after subsea pipelines ruptured in the Baltic Sea, NATO sent additional capabilities to the region. This year, NATO also held its biggest-ever air exercise, with over 250 aircraft training for the collective defence of the Alliance during “Air Defender 23”. Earlier on Friday, Russia launched one of its biggest missile attacks on Ukraine of the war so far, killing 12 civilians, wounding dozens more and hitting residential buildings in Kyiv, the south and west of the country.