VILNIUS, May 26 (LETA--BNS) - NATO fighter jets on Baltic air policing duty were scrambled 11 times last week to patrol borders with Russia and Belarus and once to identify and escort an aircraft violating flight rules, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, on May 19 NATO air policing jets patrolled the eastern border of Latvia. They were tasked with identifying a potential drone in southeastern Estonia, which was subsequently identified and destroyed.

On May 19, fighters also patrolled the eastern borders of Latvia and Estonia. On May 20, patrols were conducted over Latvian and Lithuanian territory. On the same day, jets were scrambled to identify a potential object in Estonia.

On May 21, NATO air policing fighters conducted several patrols along the southeastern border of Latvia. Patrols were also carried out along the eastern border of Lithuania that day.

On May 22, jets were scrambled to intercept two Su-30S aircraft. The planes were flying in international airspace from Russia's Kaliningrad region and back without active transponders, without flight plans and without maintaining radio communication with the Regional Air Traffic Control Centre.

On May 23, fighters flew to identify a potential object in Lithuanian territory. Additionally, on May 24 jets patrolled the eastern border of Poland and the southeastern border of Latvia.

The NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states is operated from Lithuania and Estonia.