NATO to simplify shooting down drones and other aerial targets over the Baltics

NATO will change the format of its mission in the Baltic states and strengthen the protection of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. From now on, the Alliance forces will have more opportunities to respond quickly to air threats.

This was announced by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda following the NATO summit in Ankara, LRT reports.

According to him, the current mission was created for peacetime, when fighters mainly monitored the situation in the sky and escorted suspicious aerial objects. However, recently the Baltic countries have increasingly faced hybrid threats and incidents involving drones.

That is why the Allies decided to expand the mission’s mandate. This will allow NATO troops to act faster in case of danger and gain more authority to protect the region’s airspace.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the updated format would ensure a more flexible and rapid response to air threats.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, in turn, noted that residents of the Baltic states are unlikely to notice the changes, as NATO aircraft will continue to patrol as usual. At the same time, the decision-making procedure will become simpler.

In particular, in certain cases, there will no longer be a need to hold separate political consultations before responding to a drone that has violated NATO airspace.

The Baltic Sea Air Patrol mission has been in place since 2004, when Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia joined the Alliance. It was further reinforced by Allied forces following the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014.

As a reminder, a NATO fighter jet patrolling the airspace in the Baltic region shot down a drone over the territory of Estonia . The incident occurred over Lake Võrtsjärv in the south of the country.

As reported, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Russia is sending Ukrainian drones into the airspace of the Baltic states . According to him, the Russian Federation is using these incidents to weaken support for Ukraine from its allies.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.