British fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane that violated airspace over the Baltic Sea on the morning of June 13, Poland's navy command reported.
"That is one other case of provocative testing of the readiness of NATO international locations' programs," the assertion mentioned, including that NATO command buildings are actually analyzing the incident.
The Russian Il-20, primarily based on the Il-18 transport plane, is used for digital surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It’s outfitted with radar and sign intelligence gear designed to gather data on navy infrastructure and communication networks.
In accordance with the navy command, the plane entered Baltic Sea airspace at roughly 10:50 a.m. and was promptly intercepted by two British fighter jets working out of Poland.
No additional particulars had been disclosed concerning the actual location of the encounter or how lengthy the Russian plane remained in restricted airspace.
The incident provides to a collection of aerial provocations reported by NATO allies because the begin of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland has repeatedly scrambled jets in response to Russian missile and drone assaults close to its border.
On Feb. 11, a Russian Su-24MR reconnaissance plane flew into Polish airspace over the Bay of Gdansk for greater than a minute. Moscow attributed the incursion to a navigational error, however Polish officers dismissed the declare as implausible.
Poland shares an extended border with Ukraine and a northern shoreline alongside the Baltic Sea, the place Russia's militarized Kaliningrad exclave is positioned.
Warsaw has repeatedly warned that Russia's ongoing aerial provocations may result in a harmful escalation if not firmly countered.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York