British and German fighters intercept a Russian plane near Estonia

British and German military aircraft have A Russian plane was intercepted near Estonian airspace devoted to in-flight refueling, in a maneuver that passed without further incident on Monday, according to the British government.

The British Air Force Typhoon and a similar model of the German forces took part in the operation. They took off accompanied by a Russian aircraft, identified as IL78 Midas i I flew from Saint Petersburg to Kaliningradafter this aircraft did not respond to the calls of the Estonian controllers.

They then proceeded to escort another aircraft, in this case a commercial aircraft, which was also flying near Estonian airspace, according to the British Ministry of Defence, which defended these routine operations under the NATO umbrella. “in this tense moment” for the development of the conflict in Ukraine.

UK Secretary of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey said “NATO remains the cornerstone of collective security” and noted that operations such as Monday’s show the willingness of member states to respond to “any potential threat” to the bloc’s borders.

This event comes on top of another incident on Monday that involved the downing of a US military drone in the Black Sea after it was hit by a Russian fighter jet. Washington condemned the “unprofessional” and “unsafe” maneuver and he expressed his discomfort to Moscow through diplomatic channels.

The commander of US forces in Europe and number two in the military branch of NATO, General Christopher G. Cavoli, informed all allied countries about this incident on Monday, according to a source from the Atlantic Alliance.