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Polish jets intercept Russian spy plane over Baltic Sea: defence minister

31.07.2026 21:30
Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea on Friday after it approached Poland's maritime border while flying in international airspace, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Image:
Image:Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces/Dowództwo Operacyjne/X

The incident occurred shortly before noon about 40 kilometres off the Polish coastal city of Kołobrzeg, Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X.

A pair of Polish F-16 jets on air policing duty intercepted the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance plane, he said.

"Another successful interception of a Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea," Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote.

"Once again, the aircraft flew in international airspace without a flight plan and with its transponder turned off," he said, adding that Polish airspace "was not violated."

"The Polish armed forces are continuously monitoring the situation and are responding decisively to Russia's actions in close cooperation with our NATO allies," he wrote.

"The security of the skies remains our highest priority," he added.

Polish fighter jets have intercepted Russian military planes over the Baltic numerous times this year, according to reports. A previous interception of a Russian spy plane by Polish jets over international waters took place in mid-July.

Russian reconnaissance aircraft, and more recently combat aircraft, have regularly flown over the Baltic Sea with their transponders switched off and without filed flight plans, making them more difficult to identify and complicating the work of civilian air traffic controllers, according to Polish state news agency PAP.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP