German Air Force fighter jets were taking to the air because of the appearance of a Russian Il-20M aircraft over the Baltic Sea. As Bild has learned, radar detected the Russian plane flying out of Kaliningrad on the morning of 27 June and moving in international airspace with its transponders switched off and no communication.
Two Eurofighter fighter jets were raised from the Lage airbase. They made visual contact with the Russian plane 100 kilometres off the German coast. Bild sources claim that the Il-20M paid no attention to the German fighter jets and continued to move westwards. However, 40 kilometres from the island of Usedom, the plane changed course and headed north.
German airspace, as noted, Il-20M did not violate.
The Il-20M is a Soviet-designed Russian radio-technical reconnaissance aircraft produced in the 1970s.
As Bild notes, NATO fighter jets have already flown to intercept Russian aircraft nine times since the beginning of 2025. The Russian Defence Ministry insists that all flights take place in accordance with international law.