NATO eyes easing restrictions on pilots to shoot down hostile targets on eastern border - FT
NATO seeks to ease restrictions for pilots on shooting down hostile targets (photo: Getty Images)
NATO member countries are considering easing restrictions for fighter jet pilots on targeting hostile targets in the airspace near the alliance's eastern border, according to the Financial Times.
"NATO allies are discussing a more forceful response to Vladimir Putin's increasingly provocative actions," the publication's sources said, "including by deploying armed drones along the border with Russia and easing restrictions on pilots to allow them to open fire on Russian aircraft."
It is reported that this concerns drones, aircraft, and other aerial objects that have already entered the airspace of member states of the alliance.
What preceded
On the morning of September 19, three MiG-31 fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew into Estonian airspace without permission. The incident was recorded immediately after the aircraft entered the country's territory.
Italian Air Force F-35 fighters, deployed at Ämari as part of NATO's Baltic air policing mission, responded promptly to the incident. The jets escorted the Russian MiG-31s out of Estonian territory, preventing further violation.
Two more Russian fighters were recorded over the Petrobaltic oil and gas platform in the Baltic Sea. This occurred within Poland's territorial waters.
Lithuania proposed shooting down aircraft that intrude into NATO airspace, recalling the 2015 incident in Türkiye when a Russian Su-25 was shot down after crossing airspace.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country is ready to destroy any hostile objects that breach its airspace. The same stance was expressed by the UK Ministry of Defense.
