NATO fighter jets were deployed from Poland to intercept two Russian reconnaissance planes in a bid to secure Polish airspace, the Alliance’s air command announced on X. According to Jevropejskaja Pravda, the incident involved two Russian scout aircraft.
The Alliance’s air command stated that British RAF Typhoon jets, stationed in Poland as part of an enhanced air policing mission, intercepted the Russian planes during a single sortie. The operation, which took place on Thursday, was part of NATO’s collective Air Policing mission to safeguard the integrity of the Alliance’s airspace, as reported by Polish news channel Polsat News.
Jevropejskaja Pravda noted that the Russian aircraft originated from the Kaliningrad region, located between Poland and Lithuania, though NATO did not specify the exact location of the encounter.
Such intercepts are routine for NATO forces. A similar incident occurred in mid-April when British Eurofighters and Portuguese F-16s were scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane that failed to comply with international safety standards.