NATO will send two AWACS aircraft to Lithuania to monitor Russia
The North Atlantic Alliance will send two AWACS aircraft to Lithuania to monitor Russia's military activities near NATO borders, according to a published statement .
"NATO will temporarily deploy surveillance aircraft of the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) in Siauliai, Lithuania. The first of the two aircraft will arrive on Thursday (September 28, 2023) and will carry out missions to monitor Russia's military activities near the alliance's borders," the alliance said in a statement.
The reconnaissance mission will be conducted for several weeks and an additional 150 military personnel will be sent to support it.
Earlier, on September 26, it became known that since the beginning of 2023, the United States, together with its NATO allies, has tripled the number of reconnaissance flights in the Crimea region. From September 18 to 24, American drones (UAVs) and reconnaissance aircraft of the alliance allies carried out 21 flights in the area of the peninsula.
On September 11, the Financial Times wrote about the upcoming largest NATO exercises in 2024. According to the newspaper, the alliance gathers more than 40 thousand military personnel who will work out ways to repel Russian aggression. Within the framework of the exercises, from 500 to 700 air combat sorties will be carried out and more than 50 warships will be used.
Later, on September 16, this information was confirmed by the head of the military committee of the North Atlantic Alliance, Admiral Rob Bauer, noting that the increased defense spending undertaken in NATO "leads to greater security." The total number of participating countries is 32, including Sweden, whose application for NATO membership has not yet been ratified by Turkey and Hungary.
On September 20, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that the NATO military exercises Steadfast Defender, scheduled for 2024, are part of preparations for a military clash with Russia and the next step to destabilize the situation in Europe.
