Report: NATO overflights with weapons over Austria
After Russia attacked Ukraine, NATO transport planes flew across Austria to the crisis region almost every day. Italian media assume that weapons are being delivered to Ukraine via Poland on the planes, as the “Kleine Zeitung” (Friday edition) reports.
According to the newspaper, “large Boeing or Hercules transport planes take off from Pisa and head for Rzeszow”. The Czech army was supplied with Western weapons via this eastern Polish city. The flight movements can be tracked on “Flightradar24” or “itamilradar”, which signpost civil as well as attempted flight movements in real time.
Department of Defense sees no problem
Italian media, the daily newspaper “La Repubblica”, assume that the arms deliveries promised by the Italian government will go to the region. The Ministry of Defense in Vienna does not see any problems with this, according to the “Kleine Zeitung”.
Around 500 military aircraft, mainly NATO aircraft, cross Austrian airspace every month, which is covered by the 2001 Troop Residence Act. Every flight must be “pre-announced”. “The decisive factor is whether it is the machine of a warring country. That is not the case here,” Defense Ministry spokesman Michael Bauer told the “Kleine Zeitung”. “American, German, Italian intended overflights do not pose a problem. There would only be a veto against Czech or Russian military aircraft – because both countries are at war.”
Whenever a military aircraft wants to pass Austria, it should only be announced whether it is armed or not. According to the Ministry of Defense, what is loaded is not to be reported.
International law expert Janik: “Pretty much sound out neutrality”
The Viennese international law expert Ralph Janik is nevertheless critical of the Italian overflights. “We’re pretty much testing our neutrality there,” he was quoted as saying in the report. Although Italy is not involved in the war, it is supporting one of the warring factions with the deliveries.