The German Air Force reported that the Russian pilots did not cooperate but were not aggressive. According to the German news outlet Bild, the interception involved two German Eurofighters and two Swedish Gripens.
The Russian jets were participating in a training exercise, but their flight plan had not been communicated in advance. “The transponders were switched off, and the pilots did not respond to radio requests,” a German Air Force spokesperson told Bild.
This incident follows a pattern of similar occurrences. In mid-June, NATO aircraft were scrambled 11 times to identify and escort Russian planes flying in international airspace without proper communication or flight plans. Most of these Russian aircraft also had their transponders turned off, according to Lithuania’s LRT news agency.
