NATO fighter jets scrambled 570 times to monitor Russian military flights in international airspace last year. That meant the number of such intercepts nearly doubled compared to 2021, a NATO spokesman confirmed to dpa following a report by the German media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). NATO sources say the spike was not only due to increased activity by the Russian military, but also to a stronger NATO presence on the eastern flank due to Moscow's war on Ukraine, which meant significantly more aircraft available for air surveillance there. Most of the intercepts took place over the Baltic Sea.
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.