The Polish Air Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft near Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea on Thursday amid heightened tensions in Eastern Europe. Photo by Jakub Karczmarczyk/EPA
Dec. 25 (UPI) — Polish Air Force fighters intercepted a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft that came near Polish airspace while over the Baltic Sea, Polish officials announced on Thursday.
The aircraft was flying near Polish airspace when the Polish fighters intercepted, identified and escorted it out of the area, The Independent reported.
In addition to the Russian military aircraft near its borders, Polish military officials said several objects also were seen entering Polish airspace during the nighttime hours and had come from the same direction as Belarus.
Those objects are not connected to the Russian military, though.
“After detailed analysis, it was determined that these were most likely smuggling balloons, moving in the direction and speed of the wind,” officials with the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said early Thursday morning in a translated post on X.
“The flight of all objects was continuously monitored by radar systems,” the Polish military officials said. “To ensure safety, a portion of the airspace over