6 Russian jets intercepted over Baltic Sea

Six Russian aircraft were intercepted by NATO jets while flying over the Baltic Sea in the past two days, the Latvian military said late Saturday.

The Russian planes were identified flying without a flight plan and with their transponders turned off between Friday and Saturday, the Latvian Air Force said in a statement posted on X.

German Eurofighter jets were deployed to warn the Russian aircraft and escort them, according to the statement. Latvian airspace was not violated, it added.

The German Air Force said separately on Saturday that it had identified five Russian jets flying over the Baltic Sea and had deployed Eurofighters to escort them.

This is far from the first time Russian aircraft have wandered toward EU and NATO airspace. Earlier this month, Latvia’s defense ministry said a Russian drone crashed in the Rēzekne region in the east of the country, having flown in through Belarus. Latvia informed NATO about the incident.

Russian drones have also entered Romanian territory several times over the past few months, as Moscow continues to bomb the neighboring Odesa region in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Kyiv’s air force said on Sunday that it had shot down 71 out of 80 Russian drones that were launched against Ukraine overnight.