Russian jet flies over German Navy frigate in Baltic — Defense Minister

He noted that repeated incidents in recent days — Russian drones and jets entering Estonian and Polish airspace, as well as the overflight of a German frigate — “clearly show that Russia is increasingly, quite literally, testing the borders.”

Pistorius did not specify the exact date of the incident, but German media reported it happened twice — once shortly before last weekend and once during it.

The vessel in question was Hamburg frigate, now participating in NATO’s Neptune Strike exercises from Sept. 22–26.

“These flyovers are viewed in military circles as unnecessary provocations,” Pistorius stressed.
“[Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin wants to provoke us. Putin wants to provoke NATO member states,” he added, saying the Kremlin is trying to identify and exploit alleged weak spots in the Alliance.

Russian provocations in NATO territory

Sept. 10: Around 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace from Belarus; four were shot down.

Sept. 12: Warsaw confirmed the strike involved 21 drones, apparently targeting a logistics hub in Rzeszów. NATO activated Article 4 consultations.

Sept. 13: Romania reported an intruding drone pursued by F-16s near Kiliya Veche.

Sept. 19: Two Russian jets flew low over Poland’s Petrobaltic oil platform in the Baltic Sea.

Sept. 19–20: Three MiG-31s violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes; Estonia convened the UN Security Council.

Sept. 23: Copenhagen airport was forced to shut down due to drones; shortly after, Oslo airport in Norway did the same.

Sept. 23: NATO’s North Atlantic Council condemned Russia’s actions as deliberate escalation.