Russia Surging Warplane Flights Near NATO Territory

Russia is upping flights of its nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets close to NATO’s northern edge, officials say, amid concerns in Moscow over how effective Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has been on targets deep inside Russia and increasing NATO attention on the strategic Arctic region.

Between January 1 and July 3, 2026, NATO fighter jets were scrambled 62 times in response to Russian flights on NATO’s northeastern flank, a spokesperson for the Norwegian military told Newsweek.

In the first half 2026 alone, Oslo has scrambled its fighter jets and identified more Russian aircraft near its airspace than in any entire year since 2021, the spokesperson said.

Although NATO countries frequently scramble jets when they detect Russian aircraft flying close to different parts of alliance airspace, sophisticated bombers skirting near NATO territory is generally seen as an intimidation tactic-particularly in the Arctic, where NATO is concerned about an increasing Chinese presence and Russia’s dominance.

Norway shares about 120 miles of land border with Moscow, with Norwegian soil stopping not far west of major Russian military bases clustered around the Arctic cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk.

They house the all-important strategic nuclear submarines the Kremlin would deploy in a nuclear conflict, and much of its “second strike” capability-a term that refers to Russia’s ability to launch a devastating nuclear attack even after suffering a nuclear strike first.

Norway’s military believes the surge in Russian flights near its territory is propelled by a fear in Moscow that Ukraine could target these bases in the Kola Peninsula with long-range drones.

Kyiv has for months targeted Russia’s military bases and oil facilities, often well over 1,000 kilometers from the front line, in a campaign that has put painful pressure on Russia’s economy and stretched its air defenses.

Ukraine has attacked at least four Russian oil refineries in roughly the past week, including one of Russia’s largest refineries in the early hours of Thursday.

Moscow said it had carried out a massive retaliatory strike on Kyiv overnight into Thursday. Ukrainian authorities said 30 people had been killed in the Ukrainian capital.

Russian Planes Detected ‘On a Daily Basis’

NATO fighter jets were scrambled 41 times in the entirety of 2025, three incidents more than in 2024, according to the Norwegian numbers. The previous year was even lower, hovering at 32.

In 2022, the year Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO jets were scrambled half a dozen times.

“Lately, we have seen increasing Russian activity in the north,” the Norwegian military spokesperson said. “Our fighter jets on NATO alert have been identifying Russian planes heading out into the Norwegian Sea on a daily basis.”

These planes typically fly into the Barents Sea, often turning south into the Norwegian Sea before heading back to their home bases on Russian soil, according to the Norwegian assessments.

One of this year’s incidents came on June 22, when Oslo scrambled two of its advanced F-35 fighter jets from Evenes Air Station, in the north of the Nordic country, after picking up two of Russia’s Tu-160s and a pair of MiG-31s closing in on its airspace.

Russia separately nodded to the incident, saying that “fighters from foreign countries” had escorted its Tu-160 supersonic bombers during a practice flight over the Barents and Norwegian Seas.

Footage published by Russian authorities appeared to show at least one F-35 alongside the Russian aircraft.

Norway has long had what it calls a “quick reaction alert,” meaning Oslo always has a pair of F-35s ready to scramble at any moment from Evenes, if they detect an unfamiliar aircraft.

The Norwegian military says it typically carries out around 40 quick-reaction alert missions each year on NATO’s behalf, and the two F-35s are ready to be airborne within 15 minutes.

Norway says it expects the number of Russian flights approaching its airspace to remain high, particularly because NATO is increasing its presence in the Arctic.

NATO allies announced a new initiative, dubbed Arctic Sentry, earlier this year in a bid to convince the U.S. that Europe, as well as Canada, can defend the alliance’s northern edge and deter Russia in the Arctic. This came shortly after President Donald Trump panicked the alliance by insisting only the U.S. could secure Greenland.

The vast, mineral-rich ice-covered territory is part of Denmark and is very important for detecting and intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles heading for the U.S.

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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 7:52 AM.