According to a statement released by the Netherlands’ defense ministry on Monday, two Dutch F-35 fighter jets intercepted a formation of three Russian military aircraft over Poland and escorted them out of the area.
“The then unknown aircraft approached the Polish NATO area of responsibility from Kaliningrad,” the ministry’s statement said through a Reuters translation.
Kaliningrad is a city in Russia located between NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania.
“After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was escorted by two Su-27 Flankers,” the statement added. “The Dutch F-35s escorted the formation from a distance and handed over the escort to NATO partners.”
The Il-20M Coot-A is referred to as such by NATO, while the Su-27 Flankers are referred to as the Sukhoi Su-28 fighter aircraft.
The Russian defense ministry did not respond immediately to request for a comment.
