German fighter aircraft were scrambled to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea, as the newly enlarged NATO alliance seeks to bolster its deterrence of potential aggression by Moscow in northeastern Europe.

Swedish forces spotted the Russian Il-20 aircraft, after which two German Eurofighter aircraft scrambled to meet it, flying out of an air base close to the German town of Laage. The Russian plane flew close to Swedish airspace southeast of the Blekinge area, not far from the strategic island of Gotland.

#nato #russia #balticsea