Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane ignored requests to make contact, in latest of what are seen as provocative acts by Kremlin

Two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled on Sunday to intercept a Russian military aircraft above the Baltic Sea, as Estonia said it would call an emergency meeting of the UN security council after Russian planes violated its airspace.

Germany’s air force said the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane had switched off its transponders and ignored requests to make contact. The Eurofighters took off from the Rostock-Laage airbase to head off the aircraft as it flew in international airspace.

Tensions between Nato and Russia have been dramatically rising after a series of what European governments say are deliberate, provocative acts by the Kremlin. On Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow denies this.

  • DaddleDew@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    Weird how Putin doesn’t seem affected by Trump’s aura of respect that would prevent him from daring to attack the West like Donnie claimed he was.

    • Tja@programming.dev
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      24 days ago

      Turkey didn’t hesitate and doesn’t have any more problems with Russians violating their airspace.

  • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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    25 days ago

    I think it’s time the EU collectively takes Kaliningrad. Then Russia has no more pretext for flying around there and every violation becomes a proper act of aggression.

    (am I joking? Well I’m definitely not a military expert)

    • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works
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      24 days ago

      Honestly feels like this should be a given once Putin falls, in the grand scheme of things.

      Biggest question is whether it would be absorbed into Poland or Lithuania, or become its own SAR under the EU.

      • lietuva@lemmy.world
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        24 days ago

        Historically it has been offered to Lithuania few times and every time the offer was declined. There’s a lot of ethnic Russians and with Lithuania having small population would had caused many internal problems probably similar events as in Crimea would had happened and struggle for the independence had been much harder.

      • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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        24 days ago

        Not sure what SAR means but yeah, I meant something collectively owned by EU. Maybe their biggest defense base.

        (I’m still just fantasizing)

        • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works
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          24 days ago

          I meant it as Special Autonomous/Administrative Region, akin to how Hong Kong used to be prior to the Chinese Government crackdowns.

          So ostensibly a self-governing region.

          It’s a nice fantasy, which I’ll happily share with you.

    • Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
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      24 days ago

      Flying a spy plane over the Baltic with transponders off isn’t random; it’s deliberate pressure. These flights let Russia probe NATO’s readiness, time responses, and gather electronic intelligence when allied radars and comms light up. They also normalize risk: forcing constant intercepts drains resources and tests cohesion among allies.

      At home, the Kremlin can showcase defiance; abroad, it signals that even after Sweden joined NATO, Russia will not accept being boxed out of the Baltic. The aim is not a direct clash but erosion of deterrence, unity, and stamina. By staying in the “gray zone,” Moscow keeps initiative, trying to distract support for Ukraine, stress-test NATO, and look for weak links it can exploit.

      • missfrizzle@discuss.tchncs.de
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        24 days ago

        They also normalize risk: forcing constant intercepts drains resources and tests cohesion among allies.

        it also keeps defensive forces sharp, by giving them practice, and strengthens cohesion by highlighting the shared threat NATO protects its members from.

        the Soviets did this for decades. it’s still part of their military doctrine, I guess. though it seems counterproductive to me.

        • Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
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          24 days ago

          There may not be a clear end game, but sometimes just stirring things up is the point. It creates openings and exposes weaknesses, and that in itself can serve as a strategy. He has very little to risk compared to what he might gain, so constant provocation makes sense from his perspective.

  • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    Too many weaselly people-pleasers making the decisions so they back off instead of risking a little apocalyptic super-war. Now we get this “I’m not touching you (with guns and missiles (yet))” bullshit that drags on forever instead. Enough foreplay and edging, it’s time to fuck.

  • barnaclebutt@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    I guess it’s time to move battleships into the black sea ( which should have been done a long time ago)