Russia’s Defense Ministry described the four-hour operation as a pre-planned exercise over international waters.
NATO scrambled fighter jets on Monday, April 20, 2026, to intercept a large group of Russian military aircraft near the alliance’s eastern flank.
The response involved coordination from six nations: France, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, and Romania.
France’s military unit in Lithuania reported that the Russian formation comprised two Tu-22M3 supersonic strategic bombers escorted by around ten Su-30 and Su-35 fighters.
NATO pilots flew missions to identify and track the aircraft, which typically operate without transponders or flight plans.
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the four-hour operation as a pre-planned exercise over international waters.
In its statement, the ministry said “at certain stages of the route, the long-range bombers were accompanied by fighters of foreign states.”
It added that “all flights of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace.”
Although intercepts are standard under the Baltic Air Policing mission, the scale of this Russian group represented a significant aerial show of force in the area.
