Agency Report –
Germany will station Eurofighter jets at the Polish military airbase in Malbork to better protect NATO’s eastern members, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Wednesday.
“We will contribute to protecting the eastern flank with patrol flights,” Pistorius said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
“This makes us even more active, present and visible on the eastern border of the alliance,” he said.
NATO launched a new mission in September to better protect the airspace of its Eastern European members following a string of Russian airspace violations.
The fighter jets will increase Germany’s contribution to the mission dubbed Eastern Sentry.
“When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin tests our borders, whether in Poland, Estonia or elsewhere, we respond decisively, swiftly and effectively,” Pistorius said.
Germany has so far made available four Eurofighter jets based at the air base in Rostock-Laage, which can take part in armed patrol flights over Poland.
France, Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark and others are also participating in Eastern Sentry.
Under the mission, traditional air surveillance and air defence equipment is deployed to protect the skies of NATO allies as well as measures to deal with drone incursions.
In September, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace, after a large number of Russian drones penetrated Polish airspace. Repeated drone sightings in Denmark heavily disrupted Danish air traffic.
Romania also recorded a Russian drone entering its airspace last month.
By Doris Pundy and Ansgar Haase
