French maritime patrol aircraft was target of Russian intimidation, minister says
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French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the plane was locked onto by the radar of an S400 ground-to-air defence system.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS - A French maritime patrol aircraft was the target of Russian intimidation on Jan 15 over the Baltic Sea, France’s defence minister said on Jan 17.
The plane was patrolling in international airspace when it was locked onto by the radar of an S400 ground-to-air defence system, Mr Sebastien Lecornu said. “This aggressive Russian action is unacceptable,” he wrote on X.
Nato said in late December it would boost its presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable and four internet cables.
The French aircraft was carrying out a Nato observation mission off Sweden, monitoring vessels as part of efforts to keep an eye on suspect ships.
“Our armed forces will continue to act to defend freedom of navigation in international air and maritime spaces,” Mr Lecornu said.
Baltic nations are on alert after a string of outages of power cables
