A French plane targeted by a Russian army radar in the Baltic Sea, Paris denounces an “aggressive action”

This is “not acceptable”, said Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, on Friday.

Tension in the Baltic Sea. The targeting of a French maritime patrol plane by a Russian army radar constitutes a measure “d’intimidation” who is not “not acceptable”said the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, Friday January 17. While the French Navy’s Atlantic-2 was carrying out a surveillance flight as part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry operation, launched in response to damage to submarine cables, of which Russia is suspected, it was victim of a “jamming attempt” as well as a “designation by a fire control radar”according to a communication from the French army.

He was “the target of Russian intimidation measures”estimates the minister on X. “It was patrolling international airspace over the Baltic Sea (…), and was illuminated by the fire control radar of an S400 surface-to-air defense system.” “This aggressive Russian action is not acceptable”he declares.“Our armies will continue to act to defend freedom of navigation in international air and maritime spaces”he adds.

Ce type d’incident, “quite serious”East “fairly widespread” et “extends well beyond the borders of Europe”, said American General Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO forces in Europe, during a press briefing Thursday in Brussels.