Dutch Air Force F-35 fighter jets intercepted three Russian aircraft that approached Poland’s air defense identification zone on Monday, the Dutch Defense Ministry reported.

The Dutch planes are carrying out a NATO airspace monitoring mission over Central and Eastern Europe in February and March. “In addition to the so-called ‘Air Policing’ task, we are also performing a number of training exercises with NATO allies,” the ministry added.

“We protect the airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Lieutenant Colonel Guido Schols, commanding the Dutch subdivision in Poland, said in a video posted on YouTube.

⚡️Reuters: 3 Russian military aircraft intercepted over Poland.

The Netherlands' Defense Ministry reported late on Feb. 13 that two Dutch F-35 fighters intercepted a formation of three Russian military aircraft over Poland and escorted them out.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 14, 2023

Earlier this month, the Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported that the U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems that Germany has sent to Poland have reached operational readiness.

They were supposed to be integrated with the Polish air defense system.