German Eurofighters intercept Russian spy plane near Rügen
German Eurofighter jets intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M spy plane near Rügen. This incident adds to growing concerns for NATO in the region.
What you need to know
- On Thursday morning, German fighters intercepted a Russian spy plane near Rügen after NATO detected activity in the Kaliningrad region.
- Eurofighters from the base in Rostock-Laage were scrambled to intercept the plane, which did not respond to calls and had its transponder turned off.
- After being escorted by German fighters, the Ilyushin Il-20M plane turned back towards Kaliningrad.
At 9:14 AM on Thursday morning, NATO detected suspicious activity in the Kaliningrad region. Just twelve minutes later, German Eurofighter jets from the base in Rostock-Laage were scrambled into action with the mission to intercept a Russian aircraft approaching German airspace.
How the interception unfolded
At 8:45 AM Greenwich Mean Time, German pilots made radar contact with the aircraft, and four minutes later they achieved visual contact. It turned out to be a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M spy plane, known in NATO as "Coot-A". The plane had its transponder turned off and did not respond to calls, posing a threat to civilian air traffic.
An incident significant for NATO
German fighters escorted the Russian plane several miles east of Rügen before it turned back towards Kaliningrad. This incident is not isolated, as similar situations occur "occasionally," according to sources from the German Luftwaffe. Although Russian planes do not directly violate NATO airspace, their presence near the borders is concerning.
