"Last night, the joint operational command for NATO's forces in Europe ordered a pair of Polish fighter jets on duty to intercept a Russian SU-24," Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.
He said the jets located the aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, intercepted it, and successfully deterred it from further action.
He added that the plane's manoeuvres on Thursday evening were "intentional, not accidental."
His announcement came after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier in the week that a Russian "shadow fleet" vessel—used to evade international sanctions—had carried out "suspicious manoeuvres" near an undersea power cable between Poland and Sweden.
In response, the Polish navy dispatched the ORP Heweliusz, a hydrographic survey vessel, to investigate.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said data collected by the vessel would be analysed together with experts from Poland’s national power grid operator PSE.
"These two incidents show how vital the Baltic Sea is for maintaining open lines of communication, trade and transport—and for protecting critical infrastructure," he said.
He added that countering hostile Russian activity in the Baltic is a responsibility shared by all NATO allies.
He also announced that Poland would seek to expand NATO’s "Baltic Sentry" operation at the alliance’s upcoming summit in July in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Baltic Sentry mission brings together NATO member navies to protect key undersea infrastructure from sabotage, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The so-called "shadow fleet" refers to ageing ships, often flying flags of convenience from African countries, that Russia uses to circumvent European Union sanctions, according to officials.
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Source: IAR, PAP