"UK fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace as part of the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced Air Policing in the region," Britain's defence ministry said in a statement.
"Two RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland on Tuesday (April 15) to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M 'Coot-A' intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea," it added.
Two days later, "another two Typhoons scrambled from the base" intercepted "an unknown aircraft" leaving the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad "close to NATO airspace," the statement said.
It added that the intercepts came just weeks after the British aircraft arrived in Poland to begin their deployment alongside Sweden in defence of NATO's eastern flank.
The UK Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, warned that Russia was becoming more aggressive in testing the Western military alliance's airspace, news outlets reported.
"With Russian aggression growing and security threats on the rise, we are stepping up to reassure our Allies, deter adversaries and protect our national security," Pollard said.
"This mission shows our ability to operate side by side with NATO’s newest member Sweden and to defend the Alliance’s airspace wherever and whenever needed, keeping us safe at home and strong abroad," he added.
NATO has said that its air forces across Europe "scrambled well over 300 times" in 2023 "to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching Alliance airspace, with most intercepts occurring over the Baltic Sea."
A spokesman for the alliance said last year that Russia's war against Ukraine "has created the most dangerous security situation in Europe in decades."
He added that NATO fighter jets were "on duty around the clock, ready to scramble in case of suspicious or unannounced flights near the airspace of our Allies."
Russia invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Sunday is day 1,151 of Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Reuters, gov.uk