PARIS, February 27. /TASS/. French Air Force jets escorted a Russian Il-20 plane near the Estonian border, the General Staff of the French Armed Forces said.

"Mirage 2000-5 aircraft scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane near the Estonian coast. Purpose: defense of the airspace of our Baltic allies," it said on X.

Airspace over the Baltic countries, which do not have their own air force, is controlled by their NATO allies. The French military didn’t say when it had to scramble the jets. The statement mentions only that it happened when French fighter jets participated in NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission. According to a statement on the website of the French Defense Ministry, four Mirage 200-5 fighter jets are based at the Siauliai airbase in Lithuania for a period from November 30, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that Russian military aircraft perform flights in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace.