NATO says its jets scrambled 290 times due to Russian planes

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO says its fighter jets were scrambled hundreds of times this year to intercept aircraft flying too close to its borders. Most of them were Russian planes, often on flights in northwest Europe. It said Tuesday that around 80% of some 370 mission in 2021 were flown in response to Russian aircraft. That amounts to 290 flights. Most intercepts took place in the Baltic region around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where the organization has an air-policing mission. The 30-country military organization said that “generally, intercepts occurred without incident as NATO planes take off to identify the approaching aircraft and escort it out of the area. Very few intercepted flights entered allied airspace.”