Poland intercepts Russian spy plane near Baltic airspace on Christmas day

Poland claimed that it intercepted a Russian spy plane near Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea on Christmas morning. Fortunately, no further escalation was reported.

Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces (DORSZ) scrambled fighter jets to visually identify, intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft before escorting it from their area of responsibility on Thursday morning.

The Russian jets were flying over international waters. Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, European countries are trying to boost their defences. Despite the holiday season, air defence services remained on duty.

Radar systems also detected objects entering from Belarus into Polish airspace. DORSZ said that the objects were constantly monitored and the detailed assessment suggested that they were most likely smuggling balloons drifting with the wind.

The airspace over the Polish region bordering Belarus was temporarily closed for civilians as a safety measure.

However, the authorities did not share details about the number or size of balloons.

Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz shared a heartfelt tribute to Polish defence forces.

He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I thank nearly 20,000 of our soldiers who, during the Holidays, watch over our safety – and as can be seen – do so extremely effectively.”

Russia and Belarus have not yet formally reacted to the incident.