NATO Allies Intercept Russian Fighter Jets and Spy Plane

German and British fighter jets intercepted a Russian aircraft that was collecting intelligence near NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea. The NATO fighter jets visually identified multiple Russian planes that were flying close to the alliance's airspace, with one of the aircraft being identified as a Russian Air Force IL-20 Coot-A intelligence aircraft. The Russian aircraft was escorted through Estonian airspace before being handed over to an escort from the Swedish Air Force. The U.K. and German air policing of the region is meant to bolster NATO's defense of its eastern flank amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.