Polish jets intercepted a Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea, army says

A woman rests on the Baltic sea coast in Gdynia, northern Poland, Friday, May 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

WARSAW - Polish jets intercepted a Russian aircraft on Tuesday that was flying a reconnaissance mission in international airspace over the Baltic Sea without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off, the Polish army said on Wednesday.

Countries on NATO’s eastern flank have been on high alert for potential airspace incursions since September when three Russian military jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes just days after more than 20 Russian drones had entered Polish airspace.

“Polish fighter jets intercepted an Il-20 aircraft conducting a reconnaissance mission in international airspace, without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off. The aircraft did not violate Polish airspace,” the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said.

Jacek Goryszewski, spokesperson for the Polish army’s operational command, told private broadcaster TVN24 that the incident showed Poland was “vigilant to ensure our airspace is not violated.”

Last week, Alexus Grynkewich, a U.S. Air Force general serving as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told Reuters that Russia appears to have been deterred by NATO’s firm response last month to incursions into Polish and Estonian airspace, but that Moscow is expected to continue testing boundaries.

Reporting by Alan CharlishAdditional reporting by Pawel FlorkiewiczEditing by Frances Kerry.