Within the past minutes (12:01 PM EST) five (5) NATO Surveillance Aircraft have taken-up patrol stations completely surrounding Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast.
Kaliningrad is now under massive reconnaissance by Long-range radar detection aircraft and other planes with radio and electronic intelligence systems flying around this area.
With Russia having issued a NOTAM yesterday, closing-off air space over its Kapustin Yar missile launch area, tensions are extremely high in the region right now.
More if I get it. Updates to appear below.
UPDATE 12:06 PM EST -- Russian Ministry of Defense reiterated moments ago "A response to Kiev (and maybe not only Kiev?) is being prepared."
The words in parenthesis seems to have caused this sudden burst of NATO activity.
Ukraine has launched several US-supplied long-range missiles on targets in Russia's Kursk Region over past three days, the ministry said Russia is preparing a response to Ukrainian ATACMS attacks.
The image below shows the remains of a US-supplied ATACMS missile, laying on the ground in Kursk earlier this week:
UPDATE 12:14 PM EST -- Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov says "NATO has thrown all rules of decency aside by expressing the possibility of a preemptive strike against Russia; the real intentions are now openly declared."
UPDATE 12:28 PM EST -- Russian high-ranking officials indicate that the Kremlin is not seeking compromises in the war against Ukraine, as reported by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On Tuesday, Sergey Naryshkin, the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SWR), stated that Russia is open to negotiations but added that Moscow "categorically rejects" any "freezing" of the current front line or the creation of a demilitarized zone.
The Kremlin wants Ukraine's "total capitulation"
"Naryshkin asserted that the 'elimination' of the reasons that 'caused' Russia to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is the only way to ensure peace — demonstrating that Russia continues to uncompromisingly demand Ukraine's full capitulation," according to the report.
UPDATE 12:34 PM EST -- Satellites show heightened movement and activities at Kapustin Yar; Russia's missile launch facility.
