Overview
- Poland’s air force fighters carried out a visual identification and escort of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea.
- The aircraft flew in international airspace with no filed flight plan and with its transponder switched off, according to Poland’s Operational Command.
- Polish authorities reported no breach of national airspace during the intercept.
- Officials framed the action as standard air-policing that lets crews verify a flight, judge any risk, and order a course change or landing if needed.
- Ukrinform noted a similar Il-20 intercept by Polish MiG-29s on March 13, signaling a recurring pattern of Russian reconnaissance near NATO borders.