Polish fighter jets escort Russian military aircraft over Baltic Sea

A pair of Polish Air Force fighter jets scrambled to escort a Russian Il-20 military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea, Poland's defence minister said, stressing that the aircraft did not violate Polish airspace.

Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X that the incident occurred about 40 km north of the Polish coastal town of Kołobrzeg, Caliber.Az reports.

❗Kolejne skuteczne przechwycenie rosyjskiego samolotu nad Morzem Bałtyckim❗️
Przed południem para dyżurna naszych F-16, 40 kilometrów na północ od Kołobrzegu przechwyciła rosyjski samolot rozpoznawczy Ił-20. Po raz kolejny maszyna wykonywała lot w międzynarodowej przestrzeni… pic.twitter.com/aQH0Pwj3nf

— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) July 31, 2026

The minister said the deployment was a routine operation and emphasised that the Russian aircraft remained outside Polish airspace throughout the incident.

According to the Polish military, four similar incidents involving Russian aircraft have been recorded in July.

By Sabina Mammadli