German defense minister reports new Russian provocation in Baltic Sea
Photo: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Getty Images)
Russia carried out another provocation in the Baltic Sea. A Russian fighter jet was flying dangerously close to a German Navy frigate, said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, according to Welt.
Pistorius compared the incident to previous incursions by Russian drones and fighter jets into the airspace of Poland and Estonia. In military circles, such close passes are considered an unnecessary provocation.
The German minister emphasized that Russia is testing NATO borders more frequently and intensively.
"Putin wants to provoke us, Putin wants to provoke NATO member states. And he wants to identify, expose, and exploit alleged weaknesses in the Alliance," Pistorius said.
Russian provocations
On September 21, NATO scrambled fighter jets in response to a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea.
On September 19, Russian MiG-31 fighter jets spent 12 minutes in Estonian airspace.
Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to express a protest, while the government consulted NATO allies under Article 4. Moscow denied any violation.
NATO described the airspace breaches as part of Russia’s irresponsible behavior.
Norway also reported that in 2025, Russia violated its airspace three times, with incursions lasting between one and four minutes.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that NATO intends to shoot down only Russian aircraft that attack its territory.
