Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Tuesday (May 7) that Polish fighter jets intercepted the previous day a Russian surveillance aircraft Ilyushin Il-20, which had taken off from an airfield in Kaliningrad Oblast.
The Operational Command wrote on the X social media platform that on May 6 "a pair of MiG-29s on duty at the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork conducted an interception and visual identification of a Russian Federation aircraft".
The jets that intercepted the Ilyushin Il-20, which took off from an airfield in Kaliningrad Oblast and flown into international airspace over the Baltic Sea, "carrying out a reconaissance mission, without violation of Polish territorial waters".
Intercepted once before
The Operational Command added that the very same aircraft had been also intercepted on May 3 by a pair of F-16s scrambled from the Tactical Air Base in Krzesiny.
"Safeguarding Polish airspace is a foundation of our country's security. Thanks to the swift conduct of the ground staff and aircraft crews we may rest assured we are protected against air threats," the command added.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: X/@DowOperSZ