On August 27, 2024, NATO Eurofighter jets from Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia scrambled to identify a Russian IL-20 aircraft operating regularly over the Baltic Sea without a transponder or flight plan.

Military & Paramilitary OperationsConventional Military PressureAirspace violations

AggressorDefense

Summary

On August 27, 2024, NATO Baltic Air Policing forces in Latvia responded to a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft detected over the Baltic Sea. Eurofighter jets based at the Lielvārde military base scrambled to intercept and identify the Russian plane, which was operating without a transponder or declared flight plan, a recurring pattern of provocative activity. This response reflects NATO's ongoing vigilance and airspace monitoring in the Baltic region to counter unauthorized Russian military aviation activities. The event highlights continued Russian attempts to challenge regional security and NATO airspace sovereignty.

Classification

Confidence: High

The event clearly details Russian military aircraft operating provocatively without transponder or flight plan, constituting hostile airspace violation; simultaneously, NATO's Eurofighter interception is a clear defensive response under Baltic air policing duties, making this both an aggressor and defense preparation event.

Source URL

https://x.com/i/web/status/1828410982814687552

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: csv-import
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 21:18 UTC
Event time: Aug 27, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "f3938274-41e0-42b4-8483-108088a40a68",
  "url": "https://x.com/i/web/status/1828410982814687552",
  "source": "csv-import",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Military & Paramilitary Operations",
  "subcategory": "Conventional Military Pressure",
  "incident_type": "Airspace violations",
  "country": "Latvia",
  "source_reliability": "A",
  "info_credibility": "2",
  "tags": [
    "Baltic Air Policing",
    "Latvia",
    "IL-20",
    "Eurofighter",
    "Russian military aviation",
    "Airspace violation",
    "Baltic Sea",
    "NATO",
    "lielvarde air base"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 1: Borders"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Latvia"
  ],
  "where_text": "Airspace",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "NATO Eurofighter jets launched from Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia on August 27, 2024, to intercept a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft detected operating regularly over the Baltic Sea without using a transponder or submitting a flight plan. The Russian aircraft's activity is part of a recurring pattern that prompts NATO air policing responses to assert control and identification over the Baltic airspace. The incident underscores ongoing Russian military provocations and NATO's readiness to react to unauthorized flights near alliance territory.",
  "summary_short": "On August 27, 2024, NATO Eurofighter jets from Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia scrambled to identify a Russian IL-20 aircraft operating regularly over the Baltic Sea without a transponder or flight plan.",
  "summary_extended": "On August 27, 2024, NATO Baltic Air Policing forces in Latvia responded to a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft detected over the Baltic Sea. Eurofighter jets based at the Lielvārde military base scrambled to intercept and identify the Russian plane, which was operating without a transponder or declared flight plan, a recurring pattern of provocative activity. This response reflects NATO's ongoing vigilance and airspace monitoring in the Baltic region to counter unauthorized Russian military aviation activities. The event highlights continued Russian attempts to challenge regional security and NATO airspace sovereignty.",
  "actor_primary": "NATO Eurofighter pilots",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Lielvārde Air Base, Latvia",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The event clearly details Russian military aircraft operating provocatively without transponder or flight plan, constituting hostile airspace violation; simultaneously, NATO's Eurofighter interception is a clear defensive response under Baltic air policing duties, making this both an aggressor and defense preparation event.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-08-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:51.203Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T21:18:48.616Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Regional

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Aug 27, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Lielvārde Air Base, Latvia

Primary actor

NATO Eurofighter pilots

Country

Latvia

Countries

Latvia

Tags

Baltic Air Policing, Latvia, IL-20, Eurofighter, Russian military aviation, Airspace violation, Baltic Sea, NATO, lielvarde air base

Nodes

Node 1: Borders

Loading signal...

{ "id": "f3938274-41e0-42b4-8483-108088a40a68", "url": "https://x.com/i/web/status/1828410982814687552", "source": "csv-import", "status": "approved", "category": "Military & Paramilitary Operations", "subcategory": "Conventional Military Pressure", "incident_type": "Airspace violations", "country": "Latvia", "source_reliability": "A", "info_credibility": "2", "tags": [ "Baltic Air Policing", "Latvia", "IL-20", "Eurofighter", "Russian military aviation", "Airspace violation", "Baltic Sea", "NATO", "lielvarde air base" ], "nodes": [ "Node 1: Borders" ], "countries": [ "Latvia" ], "where_text": "Airspace", "headline": null, "description": "NATO Eurofighter jets launched from Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia on August 27, 2024, to intercept a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft detected operating regularly over the Baltic Sea without using a transponder or submitting a flight plan. The Russian aircraft's activity is part of a recurring pattern that prompts NATO air policing responses to assert control and identification over the Baltic airspace. The incident underscores ongoing Russian military provocations and NATO's readiness to react to unauthorized flights near alliance territory.", "summary_short": "On August 27, 2024, NATO Eurofighter jets from Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia scrambled to identify a Russian IL-20 aircraft operating regularly over the Baltic Sea without a transponder or flight plan.", "summary_extended": "On August 27, 2024, NATO Baltic Air Policing forces in Latvia responded to a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft detected over the Baltic Sea. Eurofighter jets based at the Lielvārde military base scrambled to intercept and identify the Russian plane, which was operating without a transponder or declared flight plan, a recurring pattern of provocative activity. This response reflects NATO's ongoing vigilance and airspace monitoring in the Baltic region to counter unauthorized Russian military aviation activities. The event highlights continued Russian attempts to challenge regional security and NATO airspace sovereignty.", "actor_primary": "NATO Eurofighter pilots", "target_primary": null, "location_text": "Lielvārde Air Base, Latvia", "location_region": null, "location_coordinates_lat": null, "location_coordinates_lon": null, "location_precision": "Regional", "is_aggressor_signal": true, "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL", "is_hybrid_war_signal": true, "classification_complete": true, "hybrid_signal_complete": true, "classification_confidence": "High", "classification_rationale": "The event clearly details Russian military aircraft operating provocatively without transponder or flight plan, constituting hostile airspace violation; simultaneously, NATO's Eurofighter interception is a clear defensive response under Baltic air policing duties, making this both an aggressor and defense preparation event.", "event_time_utc": "2024-08-27T00:00:00.000Z", "end_time_utc": null, "event_time_confidence": "pm24h", "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:51.203Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-08T21:18:48.616Z", "reliability_band": "strong", "location_precision_band": "regional", "time_precision_band": "within_24h", "severity_band": "moderate", "attribution_confidence_band": "high", "attribution_basis": "single_source" }