When United States of America, Ukraine And Russia they discussed new proposals, peace plans and possible solutions to the conflict Baltic Sea tensions are still high. Moscow provocation combined with practice Born (in addition to the movement of American and British bombers), keeping the situation hot in the area. The latest episode featured Eurofighter Thyphoons of the Italian Air Force stationed in the Baltics as the protagonists of the scramble, intercepting a Tupolev Tu-134UBL and at least four Russian military aircraft. Italian jets are currently used in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing missions and in Operation Eastern Guard in Ämari, Estonia. However, the Russian plane in question is not just any plane.
Previously
In fact, this is the second time since February 2020 that this rare aircraft has been intercepted. This twin-engine aircraft is a derivative of the Soviet-era Tu-134 narrow-body aircraft, which first flew in July 1963. The Tu-134UB-L variant trained crews on the Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, as indicated by the nose cone that exactly imitates the Tu-22. Apparently, the aircraft is now also taking on the role of “VIP” passenger transport, represented by the designation Tu-134A-4, and is known as the “Black Pearl”. What does it mean? Given its route, towards Kaliningrad, the jet was likely carrying top commanders from Moscow.
Scramble
On 21 November 2025, NATO Air Command shared images on social media showing a Tupolev jet accompanied by two Russian Navy Su-30SM2 fighter-bombers and a Su-24MR Fencer, indicating that the encounter did not occur on the same day. “In the last week, Italian jets deployed in Amari (in Estonia, ed.) intervened to intercept various Russian assets. The NATO Air Police in the Baltic region ensures the security of the airspace under the supervision of the Eastern Guard. The Eastern Guard strengthens the flexibility and strength of NATO’s position on the eastern flank,” he said.
Black Pearl
As reported by The Aviationist, the plane, nicknamed the “Black Pearl” and with the NATO code name Crusty-B, was intercepted for the first time in February 2020. However, the plane has been seen several times in Russia before and after. The intercept in February 2020 was carried out by four Belgian Air Force F-16AM jets operating from Siauliai, Lithuania, as part of the Baltic Air Police mission. During the sortie, they also encountered another Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. The aircraft has a jet black livery, with stripes in the colors of the Russian flag on the bottom of the fuselage: that is why it is called the “Black Pearl”.
Mission
The presence of the “Black Pearl” in the Baltics is rare, considering that the Russian aircraft usually intercepted in the area are the Tu-95 Bear, Su-35S, Su-27 and Il-20 Coot Sigint (Signals Intelligence Aircraft). Given the location of the intercept, the plane may have departed from or was headed to the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea. Kaliningrad is home to the Baltic Sea Fleet, so the Tu-134A-4 can carry high-ranking commanders, which is not unusual. Meanwhile, the Italian Air Force (ItAF) F-2000A is part of a new ItAF deployment that replaces the previous two-month deployment of the F-35A Lightning II on 29 September 2025 to Amari, Estonia. ItAF F-35s “successfully conducted approximately 10 A scrambles, more than 150 sorties and 300 flight hours, underscoring NATO’s rapid reaction capabilities in critical areas,” NATO said.
Drones in Romania and Moldova
But in the last few hours, two F-16 fighters from the Romanian army and two Eurofighters from the German air police took off after two drones violated Romanian airspace. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest, explaining that violations were detected near the border between Romania and Ukraine. The last time a warplane took off in Romania was when a drone entered its airspace on September 13 during Russia’s attack on Ukrainian infrastructure, Sky News recalled. Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Norway and Denmark have recently reported drone attacks or sightings. On the night of September 9 alone, around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. On September 19, three Russian military jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before Italian fighter jets escorted them out. On October 23, Lithuania said two Russian jets had entered its airspace. Residents of the city of Floresti in Moldova have been evacuated after a drone crashed this evening during a major Russian offensive in Ukraine. This was revealed by the Moldovan police. Meanwhile, NATO fighter jets have been deployed in Romania to protect its airspace after at least one Russian drone violated Romanian airspace near the border with Ukraine, the Romanian Defense Ministry said.
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