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Russian flights over Europe raise tension: US military
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Oct 31, 2014


NATO reports more Russian flights, intercepts
Brussels (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 - NATO reported more Russian military flights and intercepts Friday over the Baltics, North Sea and Atlantic, just days after it picked up "an unusual level" of activity over European airspace.

The Russian flights, as previously, included "fighter jets, long-range bombers and tanker aircraft," NATO military spokesman Colonel Martin Downie said.

In one incident, two Russian TU-95 nuclear capable bombers flew west of Britain and down to Portugal, escorted by Norwegian, British and Portuguese fighter aircraft, Downie said.

No violations of NATO airspace were detected, he added.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the US-led military alliance remained vigilant given the increase in such activity.

"We are not in a Cold War situation but Russia has undermined a lot of trust," he said against a backdrop of continued tensions over Ukraine. "We must keep NATO strong."

On Wednesday, NATO said it had tracked and intercepted four groups of Russian warplanes "conducting significant military manoeuvres" in European airspace the same day and on Tuesday.

"These sizeable Russian flights represent an unusual level of air activity over European airspace," it said.

NATO says that so far this year it has launched more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft, three times more than in all 2013.

Russian military flights over European airspace are raising tensions and pose a potential danger to security and to civilian aircraft, a US military spokesman said Friday.

The United States was concerned about the flights of Russian warplanes and was tracking the activity "very closely," Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

"We certainly don't see these increased flights and activity as helpful to the security situation in Europe. Clearly, they pose the potential risk of escalation," he said.

The flights also represented "a potential risk to civil aviation just in the sheer number of and size of and scope of these flights," Kirby said.

There was another round of flights on Friday, with NATO monitoring Russian planes over the Baltics, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

"The aircraft involved fighter jets, long-range bombers and tanker aircraft," Kirby said.

He added that the United States wants Russia "to take steps, concrete tangible steps to reduce tension, not increase it."

NATO this week said Russian military aircraft engaged in large-scale flight operations in European airspace and alliance planes were sent up to intercept and identify them.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the transatlantic alliance remained vigilant in the face of the Russian flights.

The air activity follows Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, which NATO has condemned, calling it the most serious threat to transatlantic security since the Cold War.

NATO says there have been more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft in 2014 to date, about three times the number in 2013.


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