"The plane was close to Polish airspace so we went up to signal our presence, make a visual identification and escort it out of the area," Swedish air force spokeswoman Therese Akerstedt told AFP.

The Swedish jets, based in Malbork, Poland under NATO command, identified the aircraft as a Russian IL-20 Coot reconnaissance plane.

The mission took place in international airspace, the armed forces said in a statement.

Sweden joined NATO in March 2024.

Tensions over the Baltic Sea have heightened since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.