In recent weeks, Estonia, Poland, and Romania have reported breaches of their airspace by Russian aircraft. Just this week, Norway revealed that Russian aircraft have violated its airspace three times this year after more than a decade without such intrusions. Last week, three Russian fighter jets reportedly violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, flying miles deep into Estonian territory with their transponders off. The most extreme incident was in Poland, where NATO allies shot down four of roughly 19 Russian drones that wandered in from Belarus. Warsaw vows to shoot down any more Russian aircraft that violate its airspace, setting the stage for an incident similar to what happened nearly 10 years ago, when the Turkish Air Force downed a Russian bomber near the Syrian–Turkish border.

The Naked Pravda spoke to Dr. Olga Oliker, the program director for Europe and Central Asia at Crisis Group, about the escalating tensions in Eastern Europe and how the situation compares to the downed bomber in Syria in November 2015.

Timestamps for this episode:

(4:31) The dynamics of Russia’s airspace incursions and NATO’s response
(9:22) Escalation risks and strategic implications
(15:07) Comparing past and present: Lessons from 2015
(20:27) NATO’s preparedness and future strategies

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Here’s what you do when Russia won’t stay out of your airspace

The Naked Pravda

Here’s what you do when Russia won’t stay out of your airspace