On Thursday at 9 a.m., Polish forces intercepted and escorted a Russian Ilyushin aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea, claiming the plane did not enter Polish airspace.
Incident Details
On Thursday at 9 a.m., Polish forces intercepted a Russian Ilyushin aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft was flying without a filed flight plan and had its transponder turned off. Polish command confirmed that the plane did not breach Polish airspace, and the interception was carried out efficiently thanks to high readiness and professionalism of on‑duty teams, pilots, and ground staff.
Previous Engagement
A similar event took place on 28 October when two Polish fighters intercepted a Russian Ilyushin‑20 over the Baltic Sea during a reconnaissance mission. The aircraft also operated without a flight plan and with its transponder off, and authorities reported that it did not enter Polish airspace.
Multinational Defensive Action
On the same day, a preventive scramble of Polish and allied aircraft was launched in response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory. The Royal Norwegian, Spanish, and Turkish air forces joined Polish planes, while the German Air Force supplied an aircraft and Patriot system to reinforce airspace protection.
After the operations, ground air‑defense and radar reconnaissance units returned to normal activity. The measures were preventive, aimed at securing airspace around threatened areas, with no breach of Polish airspace observed.
