A pair of F-16s intercepted the Il-20 aircraft north of the Polish coastal city of Kołobrzeg before noon, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Friday. The plane remained in international airspace and did not enter Polish territory, he added. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Another successful interception of a Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X. He said that the aircraft had been flying without a filed flight plan and with its transponder switched off. The Il-20 is a military reconnaissance aircraft used to gather intelligence on radar, communications and air defense systems. “The Polish Armed Forces continuously monitor the situation and respond decisively to the actions of the Russian Federation while remaining in close cooperation with our NATO allies,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote. “The security of Polish skies remains our highest priority,” he added. Russia’s ‘reckless’ missile incursion The interception came a day after a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile entered Polish airspace during a large-scale attack on western Ukraine and crashed near Tarnawa-Kolonia in eastern Poland, around 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The missile crashed in a field, leaving a crater several meters wide but caused no casualties. Polish authorities said that the missile was carrying a “significant amount” of explosive material.