Policing the sky: NATO’s high-risk patrols near Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has not only reshaped borders on the ground but also transformed the airspace above Europe, forcing NATO’s European allies to redefine aerial security by patrolling a tense new frontier over the Black Sea in what is described as a “policing of the sky” mission aimed at upholding international law and signaling the Alliance’s readiness to respond to any provocation; several times a year, the French Air Force leads these high-risk operations over Romanian waters, to which our reporters Pauline Godart and Olivia Bizot were granted exclusive access.