NATO fighters escort Russian bomber near Latvian airspace
The National Armed Forces of Latvia reported on Twitter that NATO fighter jets on patrol encountered and escorted a Russian bomber over the Baltic Sea. “On the 10th of July, fighter jets of NATO patrol police identified a Russian IL-22 bomber over the Baltic Sea near the Latvian border,” the report said.
Russian warships and military aircraft have been increasingly encountered near the air and sea borders of the Baltic States since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and the deterioration of relations between the West and Russia.
In 2015, Russian military aircraft were spotted near Latvian borders more than 270 times. Although the aircraft do not violate the territorial airspace of the Baltic States, they are still considered a threat to civil aviation.
The Baltic States and the United Kingdom have repeatedly said that Russia habitually demonstrates its power and tests the reaction of NATO by flying near their borders.