A NATO reconnaissance aircraft has been spotted near the Kaliningrad region for the third time since the beginning of September 2026, TASS reports, citing a source in European Union air traffic control services.

According to the source, the Bombardier ARTEMIS II was once again operating around the Kaliningrad region. The aircraft was flying a circular route using the airspace of Lithuania and Poland, as well as areas over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

The ARTEMIS II reportedly conducts flights over central parts of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia almost every day. It turns around near Estonia’s coast on the Gulf of Finland but does not approach the borders of Russia or Belarus.

The source said the aircraft is permanently based at an airfield in Constanta, Romania. In addition to operations in the Baltic region, the reconnaissance plane periodically flies over neutral waters in the southern Black Sea, moving from west to east and back.

Since the start of September, however, the ARTEMIS II has not appeared on the Black Sea route. During one mission last summer, the aircraft reportedly remained over the Black Sea for almost nine hours.

On September 7, reports also emerged about a flight by a US Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint strategic signals and electronic intelligence aircraft. The US Air Force plane spent several hours over the Barents Sea near Russia’s borders.