DW reports that:
Poland’s Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Thursday that he was concerned by the extent of Russia’s recent military action over the Baltic Sea.
“For a few days now, there has been unprecedented Russian activity, from its Baltic fleet to flights over the Baltic Sea,” Siemoniak said.
“For a few days now, there has been unprecedented Russian activity, from its Baltic fleet to flights over the Baltic Sea,” Siemoniak said.
This is, it seems, part of a pattern with:
reports of more than 30 Russian military aircraft in the Baltic region on Monday, two Russian bombers were also intercepted over the Baltic Sea by Dutch F-16 fighters.
And:
Just a day later, Norwegian military said that one of its warplanes had a “near miss” with a Russian fighter which had ventured too close, north of Norway. Poland and other Baltic states including Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have been on edge since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in March.
Finland, too, has seen increased Russian air activity. As Sam LaGrone of USNI reports:
Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornets have intercepted and observed a variety of Russian aircraft, including Tupolev Tu-95 Bear and Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire bombers and Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback, Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound fighters. “Air activity intensified on December 6 and has continued during the first days of the week. No violations of Finnish airspace have been observed,” read the statement.
Could be just a coincidence but, during the same period when these provocations were occurring, the price of oil was falling. Touching below $60 a barrel yesterday.
Russia owns two exportable commodities. Oil and belligerence.
