Rafale Fighter Jets Intercepted Plane Carrying Russia’s FSB Senior Officials Over Baltic Sea

From April 1 to July 31, 2026, as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, two French Rafale detachments conducted 39 interception missions over the Baltic region. In particular, they intercepted an airborne command center of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces reported this.

French aircraft conducted air patrols over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The contingent was also tasked with helping monitor Poland’s eastern border due to the risk of unauthorized incursions by drones or missiles.

The contingent operated on a rotation of “hot” alert weeks, during which the aircraft were required to be scramble-ready within 15 minutes, and “cold” alert weeks, during which they had up to three hours to launch.

Alongside conducting live operational sorties, the crews took part in training missions with other fighter units deployed in the region. They also conducted exercises focused on supporting ground forces and intercepting drones.

The French Rafale C fighters were the first to shoot down drones over Latvia and Estonia, marking a significant event during the deployment.

Over the course of the four-month deployment, the French contingent logged a total of 540 flight hours, conducting 39 live-scramble interception missions and 69 training missions.

FSB Command Center

Based on the published photographs, during their Baltic deployment, the French aircraft intercepted a Tu-214PU, registration RA-64534 – a specialized Russian aircraft based on the medium-haul Tu-214 passenger airliner.

Very little is publicly known about the aircraft. It is known that the Tu-214PU is operated by Special Flight Detachment “Rossiya,” which provides air transport for Russia’s military and political leadership as well as for representatives of the security services.

According to assessments, the aircraft is used by FSB leadership as an airborne transport platform, a secure communications node, and, reportedly, an airborne command center.

In a photograph of the aircraft intercepted by a French Rafale over the Baltic Sea, aviation expert Piotr Butowski identified the LSZ-100 system.

The LSZ-100 is a laser-based electro-optical defensive system designed to protect the aircraft from infrared-guided missiles, particularly those launched from man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).