Russian bombers flew toward Dutch and UK airspace

“This doesn’t happen often”, says the Dutch Ministry of Defense, after sending F-16s to drive away two Russian bomber aircraft.

Still, the ministry is relieved they responded with a “Quick Reaction Alert”. Yesterday two Russian long-range bomber planes headed over the area currently being monitored for NATO by the Netherlands but were successfully interjected thanks to speedy action.

An international affair

It’s unclear whether it’s the same pair of Russian planes that were spotted in the UK, NOS reports.

That’s right… two Russian bomber planes were also detected (as well as intercepted) in the north of Scotland today before they were able to cause damage.

READ MORE l Dutch websites blackout after Russian hack attack: retaliation for Dutch support of Ukraine

The Danish airforce was also involved at one point. After spotting the Russian bombers crossing international waters in the north of their country, they managed to intervene in time so that the bombers were forced to turn back.

Dutch responsibility

At the moment, the Netherlands is on monitoring duty. Since April, it has been the Netherlands’ responsibility to defend the Benelux airspace. So far, they have also successfully blocked Russian aircraft from Poland on several occasions.

Now the two Dutch F-16s that came to the rescue yesterday have returned to Volkel Air Base. In collaboration with Belgium, the Dutch are protecting the airspace by having two armed F-16s on standby 24/7.

Hopefully, that thought helps everyone sleep at night…

How does this incident make you feel? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Ellen Ranebo
Ellen Ranebo
As someone half Swedish and half Irish who has lived in the Netherlands, the UK, and attended an American School, Ellen is a cocktail of various nationalities. Having had her fair share of bike accidents, near-death experiences involving canals, and miscommunications while living here (Swedish and Dutch have deceptively similar words with very different meanings), she hopes to have (and document) plenty more in future.

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