NATO Jets Intercept Two Russian Fighter Planes Over Baltic Sea

   (Bloomberg) --- NATO fighter jets intercepted two Russian military airplanes over the Baltic Sea, adding to a string of incidents amid a confrontation over Ukraine between the U.S., European Union and Russia.

   Eurofighter Typhoons based in the Baltic region intercepted two Russian Su-27 fighter planes, Latvia’s army said today on its Twitter account. The encounter took place over neutral waters near Latvia’s territorial seas, it said.

   The North Atlantic Treaty Organization late last month tracked Russian military planes that included fighter jets, long-range bombers and tankers over the Baltic region, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean for three days. Interceptions have increased three-fold from last year, it said.

   Russia is engaged in “dangerous brinkmanship” toward NATO and Nordic nations in its military moves, with almost 40 incidents of incursions and close encounters since March, the European Leadership Network, a security research group, said on Nov. 10.