CBS News reports that “NATO last week week reported a spike in Russian military flights over the Black, Baltic and North seas and the Atlantic Ocean, with groups of Russian warplanes conducting large-scale maneuvers in international airspace.”  

“Tensions have been high since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March. Alliance pilots have conducted 100 intercepts this year – three times more than in 2013.”  

The piece continues: “On Monday, NATO chief Gen. Philip Breedlove said the routes have been more ‘provocative’ than usual, Reuters reports.”  

“‘What is significant is that across history, most of these incursions have been very small groups of airplanes, sometimes singletons or at most two aircraft,’ Breedlove, who is also the head of U.S. European Command, told a Pentagon briefing. ‘What you saw this past week was a larger, more complex formation of aircraft carrying out a little deeper, and I would say a little bit more provocative flight path.'”