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The Royal Netherlands Air Force dispatched F-35 fighters to intercept a formation of three Russian military aircraft that were near Poland, according to a statement released by the Dutch Defence Ministry on Monday evening. The fighters escorted the Russian aircraft away.
The Dutch planes were part of the Nato Air Policing mission which monitors Central and Eastern Europe airspace.
According to a tweet by the Dutch Defence Minstry, the intercepted aircraft were a Russian IL-20M Coot-A reconnaissance plane and two escorting Su-27 ‘Flankers.’
On Tuesday, according to Polish media, an incident occurred in the international airspace close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The Netherlands’ F-35 detachment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Guido Schols, reported that Polish airspace is safeguarded 24/7, according to the ministry.
Nato refers to the Russian Ilyushin Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft as the Il-20M Coot-A, and the Sukhoi Su-28 fighter aircraft as the Su-27 Flankers.