NATO says Russian fighter jets came within a few hundred feet of its ships in the Baltic Sea yesterday. The close call “increased the risk of miscalculations, mistakes and accidents,” the military alliance warned. NATO vessels were “conducting routine operations” when two Russian aircraft “made an unsafe and unprofessional approach”. The planes came within 80 meters of the ships and were flying at an altitude of only 300 feet. NATO has warned it will “respond appropriately to any intervention” in the future amid extremely high tensions. It comes after the world was put on red alert over fears that Russian missiles hit a Polish village earlier this week. Any direct attack on a single NATO member would risk drawing the entire military bloc into armed confrontation with Russia. Western governments now believe the weapon that hit Poland was a malfunctioning Ukrainian air defense missile fired to repel an attack. The Royal Danish Navy’s Absalon-class frigate HDMS Esbern Snare is part of Standing NATO Maritime Group One (Image: EPA) Kyiv disputed this and demanded access to the blast site, publicly insisting Russia was to blame. Worryingly, the US revealed that communications between Washington and Moscow – which remain open to prevent war even as relations hit rock bottom – broke down in the hours after the blast in Poland. Gen. Mark Miley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his staff had tried to arrange a call with his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov. He told reporters: “Some attempts have been made. No success. My staff failed to connect me with General Gerasimov.’ Commenting on the incident in the Baltic Sea, a NATO statement read: “On the morning of November 17, two Russian fighter jets made an unsafe and unprofessional approach to Standing Nato Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), which was conducting routine operations in the Baltic Sea. To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video “The Russian pilots failed to respond to the permanent communications of the Allied forces” and overflew the force at a height of 300 feet and a range of 80 yards. “NATO deemed the interaction dangerous and unprofessional as it was conducted in a known dangerous area, which was activated for air defense training and due to the height and proximity of the aircraft. The interaction increased the risk of miscalculations, mistakes and accidents. “NATO forces acted responsibly, fulfilling their mission, in full compliance with international air and maritime regulations. “NATO will respond appropriately to any interference with legitimate NATO activity in the area that endangers the safety of aircraft, ships or their crews. NATO does not seek confrontation and is not a threat.” The Kremlin has not publicly commented on the incident. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
