Poland says it intercepts Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea

WARSAW, May 13 (Reuters) - ‌Poland said ​its ​airforce intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over international waters in the ‌Baltic Sea, calling the Russian flight a ⁠provocation and potential threat.

"The machine was flying in ‌international airspace without a ‌filed flight plan and with transponders turned off. There was no violation of Polish ​airspace," the Polish army said in a social media post.

Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz ⁠said flights without transponders on could pose a threat to ​other aircraft and that its pilots would always respond immediately.

"Our aircraft intercepted ​a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft ‌over international waters in the Baltic Sea. This is another aggressive ⁠action by the Russian Federation and a test of our air defense systems," he wrote ⁠on X.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Polish army said it ​had undertaken military aviation operations in Polish airspace as a preventative measure due to Russian strikes on ‌Ukraine.

"Ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems that were activated have ‌returned to standard operational activities," the Operational ⁠Command of the ‌Polish Armed Forces ​wrote on X.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Karol Badohal; editing by Philippa ‌Fletcher)

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