Russian Il-20 Reconnaissance Aircraft Flying without Flight Plan Intercepted by Polish Fighter Jets over Baltic Sea
Polish pilots visually identified the reconnaissance plane and escorted it away after it flew without a flight plan or transponder, officials said.
- On Monday, August 3, 2026, Polish F-16s intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft roughly 60 kilometers northwest of the coastal town of Aeba over the Baltic Sea.
- The Russian aircraft operated in international airspace without a flight plan and with its transponder switched off, triggering standard interception procedures when radio contact cannot be established.
- Polish Defence Minister WBadysBaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote, "Before noon, 60 kilometers northwest of Aeba over the Baltic, a duty pair of our aircraft intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft."
- This intercept followed a similar event the previous Friday, when Polish fighters engaged a Russian Il-20 about 40 kilometers north of KoBobrzeg, reflecting incidents recurring since 2022.
- Polish authorities note such flights probe NATO air defenses, and Warsaw assesses the security threat from Moscow as very high following three interceptions within a single week.
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26 Articles
The concern about a new series of Russian provocations in the Baltic Sea is growing: within a few days, the Polish Air Force had to accompany a Russian reconnaissance aircraft for the third time.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that Polish F-16 fighters intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea on Monday. The plane was flying without a declared flight plan and approaching Polish airspace with its transponder turned off.
Polish fighters on alert intercepted on Monday a Russian reconnaissance aircraft Il-20 over the Baltic Sea, about 60 kilometres north-west of Čeba, announced Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Russian Spy Plane Flies Dark as Poland Sends Fighter Jets to Light the Way
Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on August 3, roughly 60 kilometers northwest of the coastal town of Łeba. It marked another such encounter within days, and no violation of Polish airspace occurred. The interception was reported by Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, on the platform X on the same day, and relayed by the Polish Press…
The aircraft were identified and intercepted in accordance with international rules, as is standard practice.
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