Russian incursions into the airspace of NATO members are becoming more and more numerous. The British Ministry of Defense said on Friday that it had mobilized fighter planes from its fleet after detecting the presence of a Russian military plane “near” its airspace, without however having crossed it. This incident comes a few days after Russian military ships were seen in the English Channel.
Incidents involving Russian planes and aircraft from NATO countries have increased in recent years, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine. They often took place over the Baltic Sea but also in the Black Sea and elsewhere. In August 2023, Russian bombers were intercepted by British fighter planes while flying north of Scotland, in airspace controlled by NATO.
Romania and Poland
Last July, during a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian port, the authorities of Izmaïl explained that “three other Shaheds were lost to sight after crossing the border with Romania”, a NATO member.
At the end of August, another drone was also “lost” in Poland. According to Warsaw, during a massive attack launched by Russia on Ukraine, a “flying device”, probably a Shahed drone, entered Polish territory before disappearing from radar. This is a new case of violation of Polish airspace since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the last being recorded last December.
A drone that veered into Latvia
In September, a Russian drone loaded with explosives crashed in eastern Latvia, according to the country’s armed forces. According to Colonel Viesturs Masulis, Commander of the Latvian Air Force, “the drone was not aimed at a military target […]it somehow deviated to Latvia.”
As a reminder, in November 2022, a Ukrainian missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine, killing two civilians, while Russia carried out massive strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. These incursions raise fears of NATO being drawn into the war between Russia and Ukraine, with the affected countries being protected by a collective defense commitment from the Atlantic Alliance.
