Dutch fighter jets intercept three Russian military aircraft near Poland, escort planes away

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A pair of Dutch F-35 fighter jets have intercepted a formation of Russian military planes that were flying near Polish airspace, defense officials have revealed. 

The incident happened Monday as "The then-unknown aircraft approached the Polish NATO area of responsibility from Kaliningrad," a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea, Reuters quoted the Netherlands defense ministry as saying.

"After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was escorted by two Su-27 Flankers," Netherlands officials reportedly added. "The Dutch F-35s escorted the formation from a distance and handed over the escort to NATO partners."

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A F-35 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force is shown over a NATO training location on the island of Vlieland in the Netherlands. (Vincent Jannink / ANP / AFP via Getty Images / File)

The "Coot-A" is NATO’s name for the Russian Ilyushin Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft while the Su-27 "Flanker" is a fighter plane made by Sukhoi Co.

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The Polish defense ministry told Politico that the planes were traveling over international waters and "none of [its] airspace has been interrupted."

A Russian IL-20M (Ilyushin 20m) plane landing in 2006. (Nikita Shchyukin/AFP/Getty)

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"Dutch F-35s stationed at the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork were scrambled on Monday in order to identify and intercept three Russian aircraft that were operating near Polish airspace," it added in a statement.

A Dutch soldier stands guard near a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 at Graf Ignatievo Air Base in Bulgaria on April 14, 2022. (Reuters / Stoyan Nenov)

The incident comes as tensions remain high between NATO and Russia over the ongoing war in Ukraine.