French fighters were dispatched, with jets from Finland, Sweden, Poland, Denmark and Romania also taking part, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press has reported that Nato aircraft intercepted Russian bombers and fighter jets over the Baltic Sea on Monday.
French fighter jets were dispatched from an air base in Lithuania, part of a ‘decades-long Nato air-policing effort’, according to the news agency.
It noted that military jets from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania also took part in monitoring the skies and watching the Russian aircraft.
According to the news agency, the Russian aircraft involved included two supersonic Tu-22M3s and 10 fighter jets that alternately escorted the larger bombers.
It cited the Russian defence ministry saying that the bombers’ flight was scheduled and took place over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. It made the statement on Telegram on Monday, saying that the flight lasted more than four hours.
According to Latvian news agency Letan and the Baltic News Service, there have been several similar incidents in which Russia has violated aviation rules in the Baltic Sea area.
Nato routinely scrambles fighter jets to escort Russian military aircraft approaching or flying near Nato airspace.
According to Nato, Russian planes often violate air traffic regulations as they do not use transponders and do not communicate with air traffic controllers or issue flight plans.
According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, Nato fighter jets took to the air four times between 13 and 19 April to escort Russian aircraft that were violating air traffic regulations.
