NATO fighter jets were scrambled five times to identify and escort Russian Federation aircraft over the past week, according to the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania. It is noted that on March 18, NATO aircraft detected a Russian Il-20 flying without filing a flight plan and with its transponder turned off. The next day, NATO aircraft were scrambled to identify and escort Russian Su-24MR, Il-76, and Il-20 aircraft. On March 21, NATO air police fighter jets were deployed to identify and escort an Il-20 aircraft. In all these cases, the Russian aircraft were moving in the vicinity of the Kalining…