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NATO intercepts Russian Su-34, Su-24MR, Su-30 and An-30 near the Baltic states.

NATO Baltic Air Policing aircraft were scrambled to intercept several Russian military aircraft operating around the Kaliningrad corridor. The first scramble involved one Su-34 and one Su-24MR flying from Kaliningrad and back through international airspace. Both aircraft had their transponders switched off, had no filed flight plans, and were not maintaining radio communication. This is significant because the Su-34 is a strike aircraft, while the Su-24MR is a reconnaissance variant. On the same date, NATO fighters also identified and escorted one Su-30 flying from Kaliningrad and back. During that same scramble, NATO aircraft intercepted one An-30, another reconnaissance-capable aircraft. Again, the aircraft were not reported as entering NATO airspace. The incident is useful for visualizing how Russia uses mixed packages of strike, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft to keep pressure on NATO’s Baltic air-policing system.

Occurrence

2026-06-10

Publication

2026-06-10T12:05:34Z

First observed

2026-09-24T06:09:10.079Z

Review status

Not assessed

Countries

EE, LT, LV

Updated

2026-09-27T23:56:59.668Z