NATO Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Amid Presence Of US Military Convoy In Lithuania
NATO forces have intercepted Russian warplanes flying at supersonic speeds and transponders off over the Baltic Sea. A United States military Stryker convoy was making its way to Poland from Lithuania while the Russian bombers were spotted 12 miles away.
The Russian aircraft, Tu-22M bombers with two Su-27 fighter jets as escorts, were detected flying over the Baltic Sea earlier in the week. One of the Russian bombers was reportedly flying towards Denmark amid threats from Moscow to target the country with nuclear missiles, reports news.com.au.
The aircraft refused to respond to calls from air traffic control and reveal their intended flight path while flying in international airspace. The Russian planes maintained radio silence. Italian Typhoon fighters, authorised by NATO to patrol the Baltic, were immediately scrambled and deployed to intercept the Russian bombers.
Earlier in the week, Russia had threatened Denmark that it will become a target of a nuclear attack if the country decides to join the missile defence program of NATO. AFP reports that Denmark is considering the possibility of giving its naval radar systems to a network that can detect and intercept data for NATO’s defence system.
Mikhail Vanin, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, believes the Danes do not completely understand the “consequences” if Copenhagen decides to join the U.S.-led ballistic missile defence. “If this happens, Danish warships become targets for Russian nuclear missiles,” said Vanin.
Russian warplanes flying off Latvia’s coast were intercepted by NATO quick reaction aircraft after they were scrambled from an airbase in Lithuania. U.S. army soldiers from the Iron Troop, 3rd Squadron and 2nd Calvary Regiment were crossing Poland from Lithuania. Operation Dragoon Ride, a U.S. military convoy crossing Europe, was on its fourth day of a 1,100 trek when NATO jets were sent to intercept the Russian aircraft.
Lt. Commander Frank Magallon, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command, told the Daily Signal that the intercept was conducted in a highly professional way. He confirmed that NATO fighter jets escorted the Russian bombers to Kaliningrad located between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic.
Russia has announced it will send its nuclear-capable Tu-22M bombers along with the SS-26 tactical ballistic nuclear missiles in Crimea. Magallon said NATO continues to be vigilant in defending the region in line with its international commitment.
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