French fighter jets scrambled 11 times to intercept Russian aircraft

The French Armed Forces announced that French aircraft were scrambled multiple times last week to intercept Russian military aircraft in the Baltic region.

French Armed Forces spokesperson Guillaume Vernet stated during a weekly press briefing that French jets were scrambled 11 times to intercept Russian aircraft in the region as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission. In his assessment, Vernet described the unusually high number of incidents as a "provocation."

Vernet said, "The French contingent serving in the Baltic Air Policing mission carried out numerous interceptions of Russian military aircraft flying without submitting flight plans or establishing radio contact."

The spokesperson noted that the intercepted aircraft included armed fighter jets, intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft, and transport planes.

The French spokesperson characterized the situation as an "attempt to show strength" by Russia during the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held in the country.

This development, occurring after the recent detection of military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, has increased concerns that the war in Ukraine could spill over into the borders of NATO member countries.

Under NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is protected by the rotational deployment of allied fighter jets. The mission aims to compensate for the lack of air defense capabilities in these countries. As part of the mission, NATO fighter jets are scrambled to identify and intercept aircraft that are unidentified or failing to comply with flight regulations.