France scrambled Rafale jets to intercept Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea

French Rafale fighter jets took to the skies twice in one day to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

This was reported by Presse-citron.

The incident occurred on April 22 as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. In total, about ten Russian aircraft were spotted, including an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as Su-30 and Su-35 fighters.

Denmark and Sweden also joined the operation. Initially, the aircraft were escorted by Danish F-35s near the island of Bornholm, after which they were intercepted by Swedish Gripen fighters near the island of Gotland.

French Rafale jets concluded the operation by taking the aerial targets under escort and guiding them out of the controlled zone.

The French military noted that they acted in accordance with the threat level and within the framework of defending Alliance airspace.

In international airspace over the Baltic Sea, Polish F-16 fighters successfully intercepted and escorted a Russian Il-20 electronic intelligence aircraft.

Lithuanian border guards recorded another attempt to illegally transport excise goods across the border with Belarus using weather balloons. During operations in the Šalčininkai, Ignalina, and Varėna districts, balloons were discovered carrying a total of 13,500 packs of cigarettes.