A few tense minutes. The Russian army announced on Wednesday that it had sent a fighter plane to intercept a German navy aircraft approaching the border over the Baltic Sea, without causing any incident. “On April 12, 2023, Russian airspace control services over the Baltic Sea detected an air target approaching the Russian border,” the Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
A Su-27 fighter took off and identified the aircraft as “a German Navy P-3C Orion basic patrol aircraft”, according to the same source. Following the arrival of the Russian craft, “the foreign military aircraft moved away from the border of Russia and the Russian fighter returned safely to its home airfield,” the ministry added. . The German aircraft did not violate the border, he said.
Incidents involving Russian planes and aircraft from NATO countries have multiplied in recent years, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine. They often took place over the Baltic Sea, but also in the Black Sea and elsewhere. In March, the Russian air force intercepted an American Reaper MQ-9 drone in the Black Sea, which had crashed in the waters. The incident caused a brief escalation of tensions between Washington and Moscow.