On Sunday morning, the German Air Force deployed two Eurofighter jets to intercept a Russian IL-20M military aircraft that had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea, before handing over escort duties to NATO partners in Sweden.
“Once again, our Quick Reaction Alert force, consisting of two Eurofighters, was tasked by NATO to investigate an unidentified aircraft with no flight plan or radio contact in international airspace,” the German Air Force said in a statement.
“It was a Russian reconnaissance aircraft, the IL-20M. After visual identification, we handed over escort duties to our Swedish NATO partners and returned to Rostock-Laage,” the statement continued.
Meanwhile, NATO’s North Atlantic Council will convene on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.
Tallinn reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets illegally entered Estonian airspace on Friday, remaining for a total of 12 minutes before being forced to withdraw, Reuters noted.
