Nato's Secretary General has reportedly said that Russian warplanes pose a significant threat to the safety of civilian flights as they play a "dangerous game designed to test Western air defences."
Jens Stoltenberg said that the Russian surveillance planes, which fly over international and European airspace, do not follow the safety guidelines designed to minimize the risk of collision. He added that they don't switch on their transponders or file their flight plans and also do not communicate with civilian air traffic control, reported The Independent.
Nato has intercepted more than 100 Russian surveillance aircraft this year as opposed to 13 last year.
A Scandinavian Airlines flight came close to colliding with a Russian warplane in March when the two came within 90 metres of each other just outside the Swedish city of Malmo, as the aircraft had not contacted air traffic controllers or switched on its transponder.
