US sends more jets to the Baltic amid Russia drills

Vilnius, Aug. 29: The US on Tuesday sent extra jet fighters to patrol the skies over Baltic states to reinforce its NATO allies as Russia gears up for major major military drills, Lithuania’s defence ministry said.

Seven F-15 jets landed at the country’s northern Siauliai military air base, where Nato member Poland ran patrols using four jets over the last fourmonth rotation. The beefed up contingent arrived two weeks ahead of massive military exercise “Zapad 2017” in neighbouring Russia and Belarus.

Lithuanian intelligence has warned that the “exercise scenario will simulate an armed conflict with Nato” but Moscow on Tuesday insisted they would be “purely defensive” and not directed against any specific enemy.

According to Russian defence minister Alexander Fomin, the drills will involve 12,700 troops, but critics, Lithuania included, claim

US fighter jets arrived in Lithuania two weeks ahead of massive military exercise Zapad 2017 in Russia and Belarus

Lithuanian intelligence has warned that the exercise scenario will simulate a conflict with Nato

there could be as many as 100,000. Belarus military chief of staff Oleg Belokonev indicated the exercises’ scenario involves an assumed threat from neighbours to the west and said that the number of troops participating will be “13,800 servicemen”.

Nato has been guarding Baltic skies since 2004, when Lithuania and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia joined the defence alliance but lacked the air power to monitor their own airspace.