Polish Fighter Jets Intercepted A Russian Reconnaissance Aircraft

• 31.08.2026, 17:28

There was no violation of the country's airspace.

On August 31, Polish aircraft intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft in the skies over the Baltic Sea. This was reported on social media reported Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

“Russia has once again tested our deterrence and air defense systems. This morning, 30 km north of Leba, our fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft. There was no violation of our airspace over the Baltic Sea,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote.

Russian aircraft have been intercepted over the Baltic Sea several times before, most recently in mid-July. Such incidents have been occurring with varying frequency for a long time, particularly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian reconnaissance aircraft —and, more recently, combat aircraft as well—regularly fly over the Baltic Sea with their transponders turned off and without filing flight plans, making it impossible to identify them remotely and complicating the work of air traffic control authorities.