LONDON, August 4. /TASS/. The Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom intercepted 50 Russian planes in the Baltic airspace in the course of its four-month NATO air policing mission in Estonia, the UK Ministry of Defense said.

Members of 140 Expeditionary Air Wing (140 EAW) were deployed to Amari Air Base since the start of March, along with a squadron of RAF Typhoon fighter jets. Having completed their mission, the UK forces returned to RAF Lossiemouth air base in Scotland.

During their mission in Estonia, UK pilots practiced joint flights with German military pilots to intercept Russian aircraft. The next country to take charge of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia, launched in 2014, will be Spain.

"The UK’s successful leadership of NATO’s air policing mission in Estonia, resulting in the interception of dozens of Russian aircraft by the RAF, sends a strong message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that we stand united with our allies against any threat to our borders," UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.

The UK air force acted in coordination with their colleagues from Portugal and Romania, who were in charge of similar operations in Lithuania.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on many occasions that all planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces perform their flights in strict compliance with international rules.