Polish jets intercept Russian planes over Baltic Sea: defence minister

Polish fighter jets intercepted two Russian Su-30SM2 aircraft conducting surveillance over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

Russian Su-30SM aircraft

Photo: Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Russian aircraft, operating from Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, were carrying out what he described as "aggressive surveillance" of Polish air defence exercises but did not violate Polish airspace.

"The Russians once again conducted aggressive surveillance of our air defence coordination exercises over the Baltic Sea," Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X. "In response, a pair of Polish aircraft on duty from Malbork was scrambled to intercept a pair of Su-30SM2s from Kaliningrad. The Russian aircraft did not approach Polish airspace."

He added that a pair of Swedish fighter jets also took part in the operation, escorting the Russian aircraft after the interception.

Rosjanie po raz kolejny prowadzili nad Bałtykiem agresywną obserwację naszych ćwiczeń zgrywania systemów obrony powietrznej. Dlatego została poderwana para dyżurna naszych samolotów z Malborka, która przechwyciła parę Su-30SM2 z Królewca. Rosyjskie samoloty nie zbliżyły się do…

— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) July 15, 2026

The incident came a day after Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea, about 30 kilometres north of the Polish coastal town of Ustka, according to officials.

14 lipca br. para dyżurna myśliwców Sił Powietrznych 🇵🇱 dokonała skutecznego przechwycenia, identyfikacji wizualnej oraz eskortowania z rejonu odpowiedzialności samolotu Federacji Rosyjskiej, który wykonywał lot nad Morzem Bałtyckim.

Polskie myśliwce przechwyciły samolot Ił-20… pic.twitter.com/Y9jVF9OVqm

— Dowództwo Operacyjne RSZ (@DowOperSZ) July 14, 2026

Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday that, after establishing contact with the Il-20 and ordering it to leave the area, the Russian plane turned back toward Russia.

He described that incident as the first Russian attempt "in some time" to approach Poland's maritime border to gather intelligence on the country's air defence systems.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also said the incident underscored that Russia "continues to wage hybrid warfare, conducts reconnaissance operations and remains hostile toward all NATO member states."

Polish fighter aircraft have intercepted Russian military planes over the Baltic Sea at least a dozen times this year, according to officials. A previous interception of a Russian spy plane by Polish jets over international waters took place in May.

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Source: IAR, PAP