Russia scrambled a fighter jet on Monday after French and German patrol aircraft were detected flying towards its airspace, the Defence Ministry ministry said.
A French Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft and a German P-3C Orion were conducting regular flights as part of a Nato exercise and behaved in accordance with international law, the two countries said.
Russia's Su-27 jet returned to base after the French and German planes turned away from Russia, the ministry said.
It said it had scrambled the jet to "prevent the Russian state border being violated".
"Our P-3C Orion was on a surveillance mission over the Baltic Sea and flying, as per standard, towards Kaliningrad," a spokesman for the German Navy said.
"There was never any intention to enter Russian airspace. These aircraft always keep a safe distance. These flights are routine, and we don't do anything to cause a provocation."
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic sea,
A look at the Nato military alliance - in pictures
-
A solemn welcoming ceremony of US soldiers at Adazi military base, Latvia, on February 25, 2022. More than 300 soldiers of the 173rd Air Force Brigade arrived to demonstrate the US commitment to defend Nato allies and strengthen Latvia's defence capabilities following Russia's military operation in Ukraine. EPA -
US paratroopers in Ukraine's western Lviv region during a Nato-sponsored training exercise in 2020. AP -
A US military aircraft takes off at the US Air Base Ramstein, in Landstuhl, Germany, on February 25. US President Joe Biden February 24 authorised the deployment of further armed forces to Germany as part of Nato's response to Russia's military aggression on Ukraine. EPA -
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on February 25. EPA -
A convoy of British armoured vehicles of the Royal Welsh Battlegroup on the way to Estonia, driving through Liepupe, Latvia, on February 25. British troops and equipment are heading to Estonia as part of the UK's contribution to strengthen Nato's uplift to Eastern Europe. EPA -
Protesters outside a Nato leaders virtual summit in Brussels on February 25. AP -
A US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron receives fuel from a KC-10 Extender aircraft over Poland on February 24. US Air Force/Reuters -
US military personnel check an Apache attack helicopter AH-64 during a technical stop on the tarmac at Traian Vuia International Airport in Timisoara, Romania, on February 24. EPA -
German soldiers of the Nato enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania attend a ceremony during a visit of German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht to Rukla Military Base, Lithuania, on February 22. EPA
France's Armed Forces Ministry also confirmed the incident.
"As part of a Natp exercise, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet interacted with an Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft off the Baltic States today," the ministry said.
"The approach was conducted in international airspace over the Baltic Sea and was professional and controlled.:
