NATO scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea

NATO scrambled Spanish and Italian fighter aircraft on Thursday (29 July 2021) to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The NATO fighters, assigned to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, identified two Il-22PP Mute electronic warfare aircraft and an Su-24 Fencer fighter aircraft. An IL-76 Candid transport aircraft was also tracked and escorted. The Russian aircraft did not have flight plans nor transmit transponder codes, and thus posed a potential risk to civilian flights.