Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Friday (13 March), according to Poland’s Operational Command.
“A pair of on-duty Polish MiG-29 fighter jets successfully intercepted and visually identified a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea, escorting it away from Poland’s area of responsibility,” the Operational Command said in a post on the X platform.
According to the statement, the Russian Il-20 aircraft was conducting its ninth reconnaissance mission of the year in international airspace. The aircraft was flying without a filed flight plan and had its transponder switched off. It did not enter Polish airspace.
The command added that Polish military personnel maintain constant vigilance over the country’s skies and that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland are prepared to respond to any threat to national airspace.
In recent years, Russian military aircraft have repeatedly flown near or into the airspace of NATO countries, raising security concerns across northern Europe.
Notably, on 19 September 2025, three Russian MiG-31 aircraft briefly entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without a flight plan or active transponders before being escorted out by NATO jets.
Similar incidents have occurred in Lithuania, Poland and Norway, including drone incursions and brief overflights from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, highlighting what officials describe as a persistent pattern of provocative operations near alliance borders.
NATO officials have condemned these flights as irresponsible, stressing that the alliance will take all necessary measures to defend member states’ sovereignty.
Russia has consistently denied violations and maintains that its operations comply with international law.
The repeated incidents have prompted increased air policing missions and renewed calls for stronger air defence along NATO’s eastern flank.
Tehran had made plans to strike sites in Ukraine after Kyiv attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, a senior Iranian military adviser has s...
More than 800 Afghan families returned from Pakistan and Iran over two days as Afghan authorities continued receiving thousands of people arriving thr...
Japan is carrying out its biggest military buildup since World War II, with Tokyo citing China's expanding military capabilities and increasingly asse...
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has a "last chance" to sign what he described as "a good document", claiming talks are continuing at Tehran's request with backing from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
Tehran had made plans to strike sites in Ukraine after Kyiv attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, a senior Iranian military adviser has said. Iran refrained from taking action after Kyiv said the strike was a mistake, Mohsen Rezaei told the state IRIB TV channel.
Indonesian rescue teams are searching for 28 people still unaccounted for, three days after a passenger ferry caught fire off the coast of Madura island.
Two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a major wildfire in Greece on Sunday, killing two crew members as emergency services continued efforts to contain fires fuelled by extreme heat and dry conditions across Europe.
Nauru, the world’s third smallest country, has changed its name to Naoero, the Pacific island nation’s President said. The new name corresponds to the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.
Japan is carrying out its biggest military buildup since World War II, with Tokyo citing China's expanding military capabilities and increasingly assertive regional activities as the main reason for the shift in its defence strategy.
Iran and the U.S. are making conflicting statements about efforts to negotiate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump insists talks are under way, while Tehran maintains that negotiations remain on hold.
Romania blasted a rock outcrop to redirect cooling water from the drought-hit Danube River to its only operating nuclear reactor. The unprecedented measure highlights the growing impact of drought and the region's worsening energy crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump criticised major oil companies, including Chevron and Exxon Mobil, on Monday for earning what he described as excessive profits as renewed tensions with Iran pushed global energy prices higher.
A cyclosporiasis outbreak, the largest ever recorded in the U.S., has caused its first known deaths, health officials in Michigan said on Monday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment