Poland intercepts Russian reconnaissance aircraft over Baltic Sea

Poland scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday after a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted over the Baltic Sea, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

A Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft pictured in an image shared by Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Photo: @KosiniakKamysz/X

The Russian plane was intercepted by a pair of Polish jets about 56km north-west of Koszalin, Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a post on X.

According to Poland's defence ministry, the aircraft did not enter the country's airspace.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said Russia was "once again conducting provocative activities near the borders of NATO countries, testing the vigilance and readiness of the Alliance’s defence systems."

Dziś przed południem kolejne przechwycenie rosyjskiego samolotu rozpoznawczego Ił-20M.
Tym razem dyżurna para naszych samolotów przechwyciła samolot rozpoznawczy FR 56 km na północny zachód od Koszalina.

Rosja po raz kolejny prowadzi działania o charakterze prowokacyjnym w… pic.twitter.com/8b33grF3PW

— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) August 4, 2026

It was the second such incident this week.

On Monday, a Russian Il-20 was intercepted around 60km north-west of Łeba, also without violating Polish airspace.

The plane was operating over international waters in the Baltic Sea, according to the defence ministry.

Russian aircraft have been intercepted over the Baltic Sea before, including several times in mid-July, with such incidents occurring on and off since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Moscow's reconnaissance planes – and more recently fighter jets – regularly fly over the area with their transponders switched off and no flight plans filed, making it hard for air traffic controllers to track or identify them.

(ał)

Source: PAP