Touring through the Baltics for the first time as NATO’s civilian chief, Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Russian military activity in the region was reminiscent of the Cold War, noting that the number of intercepts of Russian planes this year had dramatically increased.

Stoltenberg was in Estonia on the first leg of a tour through NATO countries most concerned about the spread of Russian aggression from Ukraine to the alliance’s eastern reaches.

The U.S. deployed paratroopers to the Baltics in April, sending a company each to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. NATO and alliance leaders have made regular stops in the region to offer reassurances as Moscow’s meddling in Ukraine and aggressive maneuvers on NATO’s borders continue.

NATO aircraft have already intercepted Russian military planes in the Baltics more than 100 times this year, Stoltenberg said at a news conference at Estonia’s Amari air base. That is a threefold increase over the previous year, he said.

In addition, Russian agents kidnapped an Estonian security officer and buzzed a Canadian warship taking part in a NATO military exercise in the Black Sea in September, causing alarm in the alliance and the region.

“It is a pattern which we haven’t seen for many years, and it’s a pattern which reminds us of the way they conducted these kinds of military air activities back in the time of the Cold War,” Stoltenberg said.

“I would say [Russia’s] military posture right on the alliance borders has been a very powerful wake-up call for us all,” said Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, who met with Stoltenberg Thursday.

Stoltenberg, who took over as NATO’s secretary-general Oct. 1, said his top priority is implementing the action plan alliance members agreed to at a summit in September. The plan includes building a quick-reaction force capable of deploying within days.

Stoltenberg declined to take a position on France’s sale of amphibious assault ships to Russia — a deal that was postponed after the downing in July of a civilian airliner over an area held by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.

A group of U.S. lawmakers last month urged Stoltenberg to buy the ships to prevent an alliance member from bolstering Russia’s military capabilities.

“NATO doesn’t possess, NATO doesn’t sell military equipment,” Stoltenberg said. “That’s something the nations are doing or not doing.”

millham.matthew@stripes.com Twitter: @mattmillham