The spotting of the Zhigulevsk came later on the same day two Russian Air Force IL-20 electronic surveillance planes were intercepted in the skies over neutral Baltic Sea waters by NATO’s Baltic Air Police (BAP) jets.
LVA Armed Forces on 26 SEPT in LVA EEZ close to territ. waters spotted RU Navy's Alpinist-class ship Zhigulevsk.
— NBS (@Latvijas_armija) September 27, 2014
This year has seen a notable intensification of Russian Armed Forces aircraft and sea vessels trolling Latvian airspace and maritime borders.
According to additional NBS reports, between January 1 and September 1 Russian planes approached Latvian airspace borders 142 times, with the greatest flurry of fly-bys happening in May and June. Fighter jets were spotted a total of 62 times, transport planes 16 times, reconnaissance craft 45 times, command planes 8 times, bombers 4 times and helicopters twice so far this year.
