Poland’s military announced on Wednesday that two of its fighter jets had intercepted and escorted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that was flying over the Baltic Sea the previous day.

According to the Polish operational command, the Russian Il-20 surveillance plane was traversing international airspace without submitting a flight plan and had its transponder switched off, rendering it undetectable by civilian radar systems.

“The aircraft did not breach Polish airspace,” the command stated in a social media post.

It further reported that two Polish MiG-29 jets visually identified the Russian aircraft and guided it out of the area.

Jacek Goryszewski, a spokesman for the operational command, informed Polish media, “Our pilots had the option to take additional measures had the Russian pilots engaged in actions we would consider undesirable, such as invading our airspace or executing hazardous maneuvers.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry has yet to issue a statement regarding the flight of its Il-20, which is a Soviet-era intelligence and electronic surveillance platform adept at intercepting radio communications and radar signals, or about the Polish interception.

This incident occurs amidst heightened alert levels along NATO’s eastern perimeter, where several member nations have reported increased Russian air activity near their jurisdictions.

In September, three Russian military jets entered Estonia’s airspace for approximately 12 minutes, and Poland recorded over 20 Russian drones crossing into its airspace. The Kremlin has denied these border violations.

Poland remains a strong supporter of Ukraine and has served as a vital transit hub for Western military supplies destined for the country since the outbreak of the Russian invasion in 2022.