Image: RAF
Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has revealed details of an operation to intercept Russian planes headed for Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave in central Europe.
Two Eurofighter Typhoon jets were leaving their base in Estonia on July 4, 2023 when a Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu214 was spotted. According to the British government, the Tu214 known as Putin’s “doomsday plane” was escorted by two Sukhoi Su30M Flanker H aircraft.
Photos of the Russian planes were taken by RAF pilots and shared on social media. According to the investigation, the Tupolev Tu214 is part of the Russian Special Aviation Squadron and is often seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s air command post in the event of a nuclear war.
✈️🇷🇺 I caccia britannici hanno intercepted a Russian Tu214 in Estonia.
Accompanied by a fleet of Su30M aircraft, she flew through the terrain of the Russian Federation and the Kaliningrad region.
💬 “The Royal Air Force’s RAF operations in Estonia have also been suspended…” pic.twitter.com/hoxhAMLv0L
— Gianluca (@Gianl1974) July 5, 2023
However, the Russian planes chose to transit through international airspace without entering the territory of NATO countries such as Lithuania and flew over the Baltic Sea. NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission also sent fighter jets to the scene of the accident in response to Putin’s plane.
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the intercepted footage reflects NATO’s importance of collective defense and deterrence and that member states and allies can rest assured that Britain’s commitment to strengthening European security through shared values will continue.
The RAF’s operation to intercept Putin’s plane brings heightened geopolitical tensions between nations into play. These eavesdropping actions are a reminder that the safety of flight routes must come first.