Polish fighters intercept Russian Il-20 over the Baltic

On August 3, Polish fighters intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft Il-20 over international waters of the Baltic Sea.

This was reported by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

According to the Polish side, the Russian aircraft performed the flight without a submitted plan and with the transponder turned off. No violation of Polish airspace was recorded.

Polish military identified the Il-20 and escorted it as part of an airspace protection operation. Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that the country's armed forces control the situation over the Baltic Sea and are ready to respond to such actions.

Russian military aircraft regularly fly over the Baltic without transponders on and without pre-agreed plans. Such flights make it difficult for civilian air traffic control systems to detect them and may pose a threat to other aircraft.