3 Russian military aircraft intercepted over Baltic Sea

Berlin [Germany], April 26 : German Air Force on Wednesday announced that it intercepted three Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea.

"Reconnaissance aircraft intercepted. Germany and UK #Eurofighter have been alerted to identify 3 military machines. The two SU-27 flankers and one IL-20 from Russia flew again without a transponder signal in international airspace over the Baltic Sea," tweeted Team Luftwaffe.

German and British forces were deployed to identify the two Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft and one Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft.

It posted several images of the Russian aircraft mid-flight.

Germany handed over responsibility for NATO's Baltic air policing mission to Britain earlier this month. NATO allies pitch in to protect the air space there because Lithua, Latvia and Estonia do not have their own fighter jets.

Notably, Russian military aircraft regularly fly from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad and back, meng that such encounters are fairly routine in the region.

Security has been heightened for the Baltic states after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Meanwhile, fears are growing in Ukraine that Moscow is pushing its close ally Belarus to take direct part in the fighting.

In recent months, Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko has relied on the Kremlin's political and economic support to help deal with protests and mass arrests.

A Belarusian air defence unit was formed recently in Minsk, which is thought to station some of Moscow's missile units.