MOSCOW, December 3 (Sputnik) — The number of Russian military flights off the Norwegian coast has remained stable in recent years, despite tensions between Russia and NATO and recent media reports about increased Russian air activity in Europe, the Norwegian Armed Forces said Wednesday.
“The situation in the northern regions today is practically normal, compared to the past years’ activity. This is despite the tense situation that has developed between Russia and NATO,” Morten Haga Lunde, Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, is cited as saying in a statement on the armed forces' official website.
"Norwegian Armed Forces have followed the activity outside the Norwegian coast for several years, and our troops are familiar with both flight patterns and equipment Russians use," the statement read.
According to the Norwegian forces, some 43 times scrambles, or launches of NATO's response force jets, have taken place in the international airspace off the Norwegian coast this year, compared to 41 both in 2013 and 2012.
“In recent weeks, both Norwegian and foreign media have focused on increased Russian air activity. This, however, reflects conditions in other operational areas than in the north,” the Norwegian Armed Forces stated, stressing that the number of scrambles and identifications of Russian aircraft near Norway has been stable since 2007.
Relations between Russia and NATO have been strained in recent months as the alliance has accused Moscow of meddling in the Ukrainian crisis, claims repeatedly denied by the Russian side.
In late November, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance had scrambled some 400 times this year due to Russia's increased air activity in Europe, a 50 percent increase from 2013.
