Moscow — Russia's military said it escorted a German reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea away from Russian airspace.
A fighter jet had taken off to escort a German Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Monday.
The aircraft from German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, turned away before reaching Russian airspace. The Su-27 fighter jet then also returned to its base airport. "A violation of the Russian state border was prevented," said the ministry.
A spokesperson for the German Navy told dpa that it was a routine reconnaissance flight. A Russian interceptor aircraft then took off in the airspace near Kaliningrad to observe. This, too, was a routine reaction. Nothing happened.
Tensions in the airspace over the Baltic Sea between NATO forces and Russia have been mounting since the Russian war against Ukraine began in February last year.
With the exclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow has a strongly developed military outpost in the region. The Russian Baltic Fleet is also based there.
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