Contents tagged with Baltic States
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NATO jets were scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft 9 times in a week
Last week, aircraft from the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic States were scrambled to identify and escort Russian military aircraft nine times. Estonian daily newspaper Postimees referred to the Estonian Ministry of Defense as their source. On the 16th of May, Russian IL-20s and AN-26s flew in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea towards the Kaliningrad region.
On the 17th of May, fighter jets were scrambled to identify and escort more IL-20’s and two Su-27 fighters. The IL-2 …
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Large-scale NATO exercises to be held in the Baltics
The Baltic countries will host the large-scale NATO exercise Saber Strike 2016 in June, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported. 10,000 soldiers from 13 member states and partner countries will participate in the exercise.
“The exercises are aimed at improving interaction between member countries in the conduct of a wide range of military operations,” the Estonian Ministry of Defense stated, as cited by Postimees.
As stated on the US Army-Europe’s website, “Saber Strike 16 features allied and partner- …
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The Baltic States consider the possibility of creating a single gas market
Energy regulators and politicians in the Baltic States are considering the possibility of creating a single gas market to facilitate mutual trade. It is possible that after laying the gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland, the latter will also join the common market.
As the Lithuanian Member of the Commission on Prices, Vigantas Vaitkus, informed the news Agency BNS, the negotiations have just begun and they will continue for several years. The Baltic Regional Working Group was formed to …
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British fighters intercept Russia military aircraft over the Baltic
British fighters intercepted three Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Thursday. The British jets, which began performing airspace patrols over the Baltic three weeks ago, flew out of the Estonian Ämari airbase.
This was stated on the website the UK’s Ministry of Defense.
Three aircraft – AN-26, AN-12 and IL-76 - were intercepted because they were flying with their transponders switched off, and did not respond to the attempts of the British pilots to contact them.
"This is …
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NATO to discuss establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic States
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told journalists travelling with him to the U.S-European Command in Stuttgart on May 2nd that NATO is considering the possibility of establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic States and Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
According to Ashton Carter, there is a proposal to establish four rotational ground battalions consisting of 4,000 soldiers each.
These troops will be created in addition to the U.S. Armed Brigade comprised of 4,200 …
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British fighter jets begin carrying out patrols over Baltic airspace
The web-site of the British Government reported that four fighter jets of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom joined the NATO air policing mission in the Baltics and will lead it until the end of August. The aircraft, which will be based in Estonia during the mission, will be ready to take off round-the-clock in order to ensure security of airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
“This deployment emphasizes our commitment to the respect of sovereignty of democratic States of Eastern …
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Stoltenberg: NATO should respond to Russia with force
According to NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO should respond to Russia’s actions from the position of strength and deterrence. Deutsche Welle reported that he made these statements in his interview with a German newspaper, Die Welt, as well as the Leading European Newspaper Alliance (LENA).
“Moscow illegally annexed Crimea, they support separatists in eastern Ukraine and they have violated international law. This is why we have expanded our presence along the eastern borders of …
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NATO to place four batallions on eastern border with Russia
NATO is planning to transfer four battalions of 4,000 soldiers to the Alliance’s eastern border with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The soldiers will be stationed primarily in Poland and the Baltic states.
The US plans to contribute two battalions, while Germany and the UK will likely contribute one battalion each.
According to US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, “The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops. From …
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Kerry tells Lavrov that the US 'strongly objects' to the maneuvers of Russian aircraft over the Baltic
US Secretary of State John Kerry held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, in which the former “strongly objected” to the maneuvers of Russian aircraft earlier this week when two Su-24s buzzed a US naval destroyer in the Baltic Sea, a State Department press release reported.
The Russian attack aircraft reportedly made 11 passes over the USS Donald Cook on Monday. On at least one occasion, the aircraft came within an estimated 10 meters of the naval …
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Latvian official: The Baltic States are susceptible to Russian foreign policy 'adventures'
The former head of Latvian counterintelligence and adviser to the president of the republic, Janis Kazocins, believes that Russia will hardly risk a direct military invasion into the Baltic States as stated in his article titled, "Has the Russian Venture into Syria made Latvia Safer?", BaltNews reported.
However, in his opinion, right now there comes an extremely dangerous period when Moscow can "decide on their next venture."
"There are two opinions regarding Russia’s current opportunities …