According to what was quoted by the network “Sky News” news from the British Ministry of Defense, the interception took place during the conduct of routine operations of NATO over Estonia.
This is the first time that Germany and Britain have cooperated militarily, in order to carry out surveillance operations in the airspace of Estonia, a member of the alliance, which shares borders with Russia.
The interception operation was carried out by two “Typhoon” combat aircraft, while tension between Moscow and the West increased to an unprecedented level in decades, since the launch of Russian military operations in Ukraine in February 2022.
“This is familiar to him,” said the British Army pilot who conducted the interception, as he was flying alongside his German counterpart.
The pilot, whose name was not mentioned, stated that he and his German colleague spotted the Russian fighter plane, and they watched it after entering NATO airspace.
Since the Russian fighter plane did not communicate with the air traffic control authorities, the two pilots intercepted it in a move “described as necessary to ensure the safety of air navigation.”
Experts view such an incident as an indication of the growing possibility of the West and Russia slipping into direct confrontation on a larger scale, while the current heated conflict is taking place inside Ukraine and has been going on for more than a year.
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