The Russian Air Force held maneuvers at the borders of NATO

More than two dozen Russian military aircraft, including six nuclear bombers, performed “significant military maneuvers” among the borders of NATO and European military space, Vedomosti reports with reference to The Financial Times. This is the most serious air provocation organized by the Kremlin over the past year, the British edition notes.

On Wednesday, at about 15.00 in Central European times, eight Russian aircraft, including the Tu-95 strategic nuclear bomber and four refueling, were recorded during the flight from the mainland of Russia to the Norwegian Sea. Six aircraft unfolded, and two continued the flight near the Norwegian coastline. They were accompanied by fighters of the F16 of the Royal Air Force of Norway. Then, when Russian planes approached the UK, the tracking of the Air Force of this kingdom continued. The Portuguese fighters were also involved, since Russian planes approached the Pyrenee Peninsula.

Russian planes did not give a flight plan, turned off the relayers and did not respond to any radio signals of civilian and military dispatchers, the publication reports.

At the same time, the Baltic Police of NATO, based in Lithuanian Shaulya, was ready to intercept seven Russian fighters, including two MiG-31, two Su-34, two Su-24 and one Su-27. Turkish planes were also directed to track the activity of two Russian bombers, accompanied by two Russian fighters who approached the country's air in the Black Sea.

"These large -scale Russian flights represent an extraordinary level of activity in the European airspace," NATO quoted Reuters as saying.

On the eve of a similar incident provoked by seven Russian fighters occurred in the Baltic Sea, writes FT. Then, according to the alarm, the Air Force of Germany, Denmark, Finland and Sweden were raised. Although at that time Russian planes submitted a flight plan and used relayers, they kept the radio and did not respond to the requests of air traffic controllers.

These incidents caused NATO concern. Last year, the Alliance increased the Baltic air group by four times (now there are 16 aircraft in it) and spent more than 150 million euros on the improvement of the air base.

A week earlier, the Russian reconnaissance aircraft invaded NATO airspace for the first time since the Cold War.