NATO scrambles jets over Russian aircraft in Baltic airspace

Tuesday 13 January 2026 - 16:50

By: Dakir Madiha

NATO scrambles jets over Russian aircraft in Baltic airspace

NATO fighter jets assigned to the Baltic air policing mission launched multiple emergency scrambles last week to identify and escort Russian military aircraft flying in breach of international flight rules, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry reported Monday. The incidents involved a Russian Su-30 multirole fighter and an An-26 transport plane operating in international airspace between Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and mainland Russia. Both aircraft flew without radar transponders or filed flight plans, though they maintained radio contact with the regional air traffic control center, Lithuanian authorities noted.

These latest alert takeoffs come as NATO confronts mounting pressure to bolster its eastern defenses. Bloomberg reported the alliance has asked Turkey to provide F-16 fighters for the Baltic air policing mission several months ahead of the original schedule. The proposed deployment would cover a four-month rotation in Estonia from August to December 2026, advancing Ankara's existing commitment to station jets in Romania from December 2026 to March 2027. Turkey has yet to decide how it will respond to the request, a sensitive timing as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration prepares to host NATO's next summit in July.

Data cited by Bloomberg shows NATO jet scrambles in the Baltic region hit about 250 instances in 2025, the highest since 2022. These missions typically involve intercepting Russian military planes flying without transponders or flight plans, violating international aviation safety norms.

The surge in air activity aligns with heightened regional tensions following Russia's use of the intermediate-range ballistic missile Orechnik against Ukraine's western Lviv region on January 8 and 9. That strike marked only the second known combat deployment of the nuclear-capable missile, targeting an area roughly 70 kilometers from the Polish border. The UN Security Council held an emergency session on January 12 to address Russia's intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amid freezing temperatures. Ukraine's permanent UN representative, Andrii Melnyk, accused Moscow of deliberately timing the strikes to coincide with sub-zero Celsius chills down to minus 15 degrees, leaving millions without power and heat.

The Baltic states have maintained heightened alert since September 2025, when three Russian MiG-31 fighters breached Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes, prompting urgent consultations among NATO allies.