UK, US, NATO flew 12-hour patrol on Russian border amid Ukraine war

Allied forces motorboat associated patrols adjacent Russia aft reports of drone incursions into allied airspace.

The United Kingdom has said 2 Royal Air Force (RAF) craft joined a 12-hour NATO patrol earlier this week adjacent Russia’s border, pursuing a bid of Russian drone and craft incursions into confederation airspace.

“This was a important associated ngo with our US and NATO allies,” Defence Minister John Healey said connected Saturday, arsenic concerns emergence that Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine volition spill implicit into Europe.

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“Not lone does this supply invaluable quality to boost the operational consciousness of our Armed Forces, but sends a almighty connection of NATO unity to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and our adversaries,” helium added.

The ngo progressive an RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance pitchy and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol craft flying from the Arctic portion past Belarus and Ukraine, supported by a US Air Force KC-135 refuelling plane.

British officials said the cognition followed respective incursions into the airspace of NATO members, including Poland, Romania, and Estonia.

Growing airspace tensions

In recent weeks, Poland and its allies person reinforced aerial defences amid expanding Russian drone activity. Earlier this month, Warsaw deployed further systems on its borderline with Ukraine – which stretches astir 530km (330 miles) – aft unidentified drones concisely entered Polish airspace.

Poland temporarily closed portion of its airspace southeast of Warsaw successful precocious September during a large Russian battle crossed Ukraine. It was the 2nd specified incidental this year, with Polish and NATO forces antecedently intercepting Russian drones that crossed the borderline – marking their archetypal nonstop subject engagement with Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began successful 2022.

Elsewhere, airports successful Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland person astatine times besides temporarily suspended flights owed to sightings of unidentified drones. Romania and Estonia person straight accused Russia, which has dismissed the claims arsenic “baseless”.

Putin has pledged a “significant” effect to what helium called “Europe’s militarisation”, rejecting suggestions that Moscow plans to onslaught NATO arsenic “nonsense”.

“They can’t judge what they’re saying, that Russia is going to onslaught NATO,” helium said connected Thursday astatine a overseas argumentation forum successful Sochi. “They’re either incredibly incompetent if they genuinely judge it due to the fact that it’s intolerable to judge this nonsense, oregon they’re simply dishonest.”

Putin said helium was intimately monitoring Europe’s subject build-up and warned that Russia would not hesitate to respond. “In Germany, for example, it is said that the German service should go the strongest successful Europe. Very well. We perceive that and are watching to spot what is meant by it,” helium said. “Russia volition ne'er amusement weakness oregon indecisiveness. We simply cannot disregard what is happening.”

Relations betwixt Moscow and the European Union person continued to deteriorate since Russia’s 2022 penetration of Ukraine, driving the bloc to fortify its corporate defences amid fears the warfare could spill crossed NATO borders.