Rafale fighters of the French Air and Space Forces intercepted and escorted two Russian Su-24Ms that violated the airspace of the Baltic states.
This was reported by the official account of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces on X.
It is noted that fighter jets deployed in Lithuania to carry out NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic states were used to intercept the violators.
Judging by the published photos, one of the Russian Su-24Ms had the registration number RF-34002, which corresponds to a bomber belonging to the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment, which operates Su-30SM and Su-24M aircraft.
This regiment is based at the Chernyakhovsk military airfield in the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation and is part of the 34th Mixed Aviation Division of the Baltic Fleet.
Air contingents from the French and Romanian Air Forces assumed responsibility for carrying out the NATO Air Policing Mission on March 31, 2026. They replaced contingents from the Spanish and Italian Air Forces.
“The NATO Air Policing Mission is one of the most striking examples of the Alliance’s collective defense. Today, as the security situation in the region remains complex, the presence of allies in Lithuania is more important than ever. Recent incidents involving drones in the Baltic states and Finland underscore the need to strengthen air defense and ensure a continuous and robust Allied presence in the region,” said Lithuanian Deputy Minister of National Defense Vitalija Zumerienė.
