Other events in Baltic States

NATO on Tuesday said that from September 2015 it will reduce the number of aircraft assigned to the Baltic air policing mission from sixteen to eight, according to NATO military spokesman Jay Janzen, cites AFP/LETA.

Regardless of the growing number of interceptions of Russian aircraft in the region, Janzen said that the "decision was made based on a rational use of resources."

NATO has been guarding Baltic skies since 2004, when the trio joined the defense alliance but lacked the air power to monitor their own airspace.

NATO allies had gradually increased the number of aircraft patrolling over Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, from four fighter jets early last year, amid tensions between Russia and the West over the crisis in Ukraine.

Under Moscow's thumb until 1991, the Baltic states have been on high alert since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine last year.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas downplayed the defense alliance cutback, telling AFP it would not affect regional security.

"Recently there were no airspace violations. Russian aircraft were escorted many times but we avoided violations. Taking that into account, the decision was made based on a rational use of resources," he said.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian news portal "Vz.lt" has received a comment from the Lithuanian Defense Ministry indicating that the issue is currently being coordinated, and that the Baltic States still wish the air policing mission to be reinforced.