Polish jet fighters intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea near the country’s maritime border, officials in Warsaw said Tuesday.
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A pair of Polish Air Force F-16 jets located the Ilyushin Il-20 plane early Tuesday about 30 miles off the coast. The aircraft is used to gather intelligence on radar, communications and air defense systems.
“This is the first Russian attempt in quite some time to approach our maritime border in order to gather intelligence on our air defense systems,” Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a press conference.
The reconnaissance aircraft turned away and headed back to Russia after the Polish jet fighter pilots established contact and said it should leave the area, officials said.
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Moscow has repeatedly deployed military aircraft close to NATO airspace since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The latest incident is a sign that Russia is continuing to wage hybrid warfare and conduct reconnaissance missions against NATO even as its war against Kyiv continues, the Polish defense minister said.
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