Russian Fighter Jet Chases Off NATO Fighter Over Baltic Sea

NATO F-18 approached passenger plane containing Russian DM

Russian state media showed a video of a mid-air confrontation over the Baltic Sea, where a Russian Su-27 fighter chased away a NATO F-18 that was moving toward a passenger plane.

NATO moved against the passenger aircraft when it was over the Baltic Sea after leaving Kaliningrad and heading toward Moscow. The plane contained Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shogu. The F-18 was from Spain, but operating out of Lithuania.

This is the second time a NATO fighter moved after a plane Shogu was on. Fortunately for Shogu, Russia keeps fighters in the area to protect high-ranking officials’ flights, and the Su-27 got into the area near the NATO plane, forcing it off.

Shogu was in Kaliningrad to attend a ceremony for the construction of a new military academy. The Russian exclave of Kaliingrad borders Lithuania and Poland, and NATO tends to militarize the area around it.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.