Overview

• Germany said two Eurofighters intercepted a Russian Il‑20M reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea after it flew with transponders off and ignored calls.
• Poland reported scrambling fighters and placing air defences on maximum readiness during a massive Russian overnight assault on Ukraine that included 579 attack drones, eight ballistic missiles and 32 cruise missiles, most of which Kyiv says were downed.
• Estonia has requested NATO Article 4 consultations and secured an emergency UN Security Council meeting for 22 September over what it calls a confirmed airspace violation by three Russian MiG‑31s, a claim Moscow denies.
• NATO’s Operation Eastern Sentry continued with RAF Typhoons patrolling Polish skies, and Italian, Swedish and Finnish jets responding during the Estonian incident, as allies bolster air policing across the eastern flank.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to press President Donald Trump for stronger U.S. sanctions and security guarantees at the UN, while Czech president Petr Pavel urged NATO to be prepared to shoot down trespassing Russian jets if required.