NATO deploys surveillance jets to Lithuania to 'monitor Russian military activities'

ATHENS

NATO on Thursday said it will deploy Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes to Lithuania to "monitor Russian military activity" near the alliance’s borders.

The first of two aircraft will arrive on Thursday at the Siauliai Air Base, NATO said in a statement.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has "increased our focus on the security environment in the Baltic Sea region,” said acting NATO spokesperson Dylan White.

“Our AWACS can detect aircraft and missiles hundreds of kilometers away, making them a key early warning capability for NATO. I thank Lithuania for hosting the aircraft. This is an important contribution to our shared security,” he added.

The press release said NATO, in response to the war, has boosted its air presence in the eastern part of the alliance using fighter jets, surveillance planes and tankers.

Since February 2022, when the "special military operation" was launched, AWACS have conducted hundreds of flights over Eastern Europe to monitor Russian warplanes, the alliance said.

The AWACS will start their reconnaissance flights over alliance territory in the coming days, and the mission is scheduled to last several weeks.