German warplanes intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft above Baltic Sea

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - German warplanes scrambled Saturday to intercept a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance plane flying above the Baltic Sea, according to the German Air Force.

A German Eurofighter aircraft, assigned to NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, took off from the Lielvarde Air Base in Latvia to intercept a Russian "COOT-A (IL-20)" type aircraft flying above the Baltic Sea, the German Air Force wrote on X.

The statement noted that the Russian aircraft lacked a transponder signal.

The intercept highlights ongoing tensions in the Baltic region between NATO and Russia.

The incident echoes a similar one in January when a Russian IL-20 flew without a transponder off the German coast.

Germany contributes to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, safeguarding the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with five Eurofighters.