The NATO member state was forced to deploy fighter planes once again this week after a Russian reconnaissance plane was spotted over the Baltic Sea. Poland deployed F-16 fighter jets in response to Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft operating near western defense positions.
Putin’s plane was flying over international waters “without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off.” This is the second time this week that a Russian spy plane has been flying over the Baltic Sea. The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said in a statement: “This type of provocative action by the Russian Federation does not go unanswered – we are alert, we respond, and we remain on constant alert to defend Polish airspace.”
“The Russian Federation’s provocative actions are testing our air defense systems,” said Władysław Kosyniak-Kamycz, Poland’s deputy prime minister.
He added that “Thanks to the constant combat readiness of pilots, soldiers and ground crews, the Polish skies are safe”.
“Wojsko Polski is ready every day for immediate response and airspace protection,” he said.
Poland shares a 130-mile border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad. The Suwalki Gap, a 60-mile-wide corridor between Poland and Lithuania, has been described as NATO’s “weakest link” – a strip of territory between Russia and its ally Belarus.
Mr Healey told the Russian president, “We see you” as he confirmed Britain and allies had tracked a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines in the North Atlantic for a month before retreating.
Addressing the Russian leader during a press conference held on 9 April, he said: “We see your activity on our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to harm them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”
Healey told a Downing Street press conference on Thursday that Russia had deployed an Akula-class submarine as a distraction tactic, while two GUGI spy submarines monitored the cables.
He said the attacking submarine immediately left British waters and returned to Russia after being tracked, while the two GUGI ships remained in the area.
