In 2016, interceptor aircraft of NATO countries were raised 870 times in alarm, in particular 780 times - because of the actions of Russian aviation.

This is reported by DW.

90 sorties were committed because of the danger of combat aircraft of other states that are not members of the alliance, said representatives of the NATO air forces stationed at the airbase near Ramstein (Germany).

Also, interceptors went up to passenger and cargo planes that were not immediately identified, noted in NATO.

This number of departures in the past year more than twice exceeds the number registered in the course of 2015 of similar cases of flights of interceptor aircraft by alarm. In 2015, 410 flights were made.

As reported by the "Observer", in early 2017, NATO transferred the largest batch of equipment to Europe since the collapse of the USSR.

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