Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea and forced it to withdraw, in what Warsaw described as another attempt by Moscow to probe NATO’s air defenses.Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced this on Tuesday, calling the situation “another Russian provocation over the Baltic Sea.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“I remind you. It is Russia that is the aggressor,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding that the aircraft was “gathering intelligence on the defense systems” and that “Russia is testing the Alliance’s readiness in this way.”Pattern of incursions continuesThe Il-20 is a Russian electronic and imagery intelligence aircraft that has repeatedly flown over the Baltic Sea, often without a filed flight plan and with its transponder switched off, making it invisible to civilian radar.The latest incident represents the 10th interception of a Russian military aircraft in Poland since the beginning of the year, United24Media reported, adding that the last encounter between Polish fighters and a Russian reconnaissance plane occurred in May.In 2025, a Russian Il-20 crossed roughly 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea, prompting British fighter jets stationed in Poland to scramble and intercept it, according to TVP World.Similar incidents occured during the same month when Polish jets were scrambled after a Soviet-era Su-24 performed what Kosiniak-Kamysz called “dangerous” maneuvers over the Baltic Sea, and Estonia reported a separate Russian jet incursion that drew a response from NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.