Close people of Dutch fighter pilots were threatened by the unknown individuals who called them while the servicemen were on patrol missions in the Baltic States. The civilians received anonymous calls, as people who spoke with Russian accent said that "their men should not rather leave the area". NL Times reported that on August 9.
"The women often received these calls after their husbands or boyfriends called them from their personal phones. The person on the line, "with a Russian-sounding accent", asked things like what their husband was doing there, what she thought about it, and whether it would be better if he left the area", the outlet wrote.
Military intelligence service MIVD acknowledged it wasn't the first time such practice took place; they refused to comment any further.
"At the time, Dutch F-16 fighter jets participated in the Baltic Air Police, patrolling the Baltic air space. While the Dutch F-16s are no longer in the area, the Netherlands still has a large military presence in Lithuania. A total of 270 Dutch soldiers form part of a NATO force that has been present there since 2017. According to the newspaper, this is a signal to Russia that NATO will not accept an attack on the Baltic states following the annexation of Crimea", NL Times reported.
