Polish F-16 fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft 40 kilometres north of Kolobrzeg on 31 July 2026, after the Russian plane flew in international airspace without a flight plan and with its transponder switched off.
The scramble came a day after a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile violated Polish airspace and crashed near Tarnawa-Kolonia in Lublin province. The missile, manufactured in the Moscow region, was detected in Polish airspace at 03:40 before its signal vanished at 03:46. Police later found a crater and debris between the villages of Tarnawa-Kolonia and Tokary.
The incident caps a period of heightened aerial activity along Poland's Baltic coast. In mid-July, the Polish air force intercepted Russian warplanes on three consecutive days. Previous Il-20 intercepts occurred on 14 July, 13 May, and 9 April, with a similar incident recorded in October 2025.