All articles tagged with #baltic
Video shows a French Rafale destroying a drone that entered Latvian airspace during NATO's Baltic Air Policing from Šiauliai, Lithuania; the intercept is the first such intercept captured on camera and highlights how Russia's drone activities in Ukraine are crossing into NATO territory, with NATO expanding layered defenses and France moving to field lower-cost counter-drone pods for the Rafale.
A French Rafale fighter jet shot down an unidentified drone that crossed into Latvia's airspace from Russia during NATO's Baltic Air Police mission; Latvia said Russia used electromagnetic warfare before the breach, and there were no injuries or damage, highlighting ongoing spillovers from the Ukraine conflict.
On June 3, 2026, Ukrainian one-way attack drones struck the Russian corvette Boiky in Kronstadt’s Veleshchynsky dry dock, about 1,100 km from Ukraine, causing a midship hit that destroyed the mainmast and central sensor/operations spaces. Boiky survived but requires extensive repairs, illustrating Ukraine’s expanding long-range drone campaign and signaling a widening attack footprint into the Baltic that challenges Russia’s naval readiness and has implications for NATO security during a major regional forum.
Sweden has officially joined the NATO alliance, enhancing the alliance's capabilities against Russia and bringing key Russian cities and military assets within closer range of potential NATO attacks. With Sweden's membership, NATO now has new ways to deter Russian aggression in the Baltic region, extending its missile range and putting strategic locations in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg within reach. Russia, in response, is massively expanding its military presence in the region, including placing nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in Belarus, as it perceives NATO's new presence as a threat.
UK fighter jets have been scrambled 21 times in the last three weeks to respond to Russian aircraft in the Baltic region, as part of NATO's air policing operations. The RAF Typhoon fighters are part of the "quick reaction alert" aircraft used by the Western alliance to secure its eastern European flank. The intercepts included Su-27 fighter jets, long-range bombers, and transport and intelligence collection aircraft. The RAF has also taken part in several major aerial exercises with NATO allies, including the largest since the end of the Cold War.