Fighter jets of the German and British air forces have intercepted three Russian reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, German Press Agency dpa reported, quoting a press release from the German Bundeswehr.

The German air force said Wednesday morning on Twitter that two SU-27s and one Il-20 had flown “without a transponder signal in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.”

Aufklärungsflieger abgefangen. 🇩🇪 und 🇬🇧 #Eurofighter wurden alarmiert, um 3 Militärmaschinen zu identifizieren. Die zwei SU-27 Flanker und eine IL-20 aus 🇷🇺 flogen erneut ohne Transpondersignal im int. Luftraum über der Ostsee. #SecuringTheSkies #VAPB @NATO @GermanyNATO… pic.twitter.com/sOY4CPkrbe

— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) April 26, 2023

The Russian reconnaissance aircraft were intercepted by Eurofighter jets belonging to Germany and the U.K.

Securing the Baltic airspace

Dpa explained that because Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets, NATO has been securing the Baltic airspace in northeastern Europe since 2004. The Alliance regularly sends fighter jets and personnel to the Baltic states bordering Russia.

In early April, after eight months, the German Bundeswehr handed over command of the NATO air surveillance mission to the United Kingdom. However, the German air force will support it until the end of the month, dpa added.