Ukraine war - Poland: Russian missile flies through Polish airspace
According to the Polish army, a Russian missile has violated the airspace of NATO member Poland in the course of Russia's massive airstrikes on Ukraine. "Everything points to the fact that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace. It was tracked by us on radar and also left the airspace again," said Chief of General Staff Wieslaw Kukula in Warsaw.
According to the information, the missile was in Polish airspace for about three minutes and flew over 40 kilometers. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that the defence alliance stands by its member Poland and remains vigilant.
On Friday, Russia carried out the heaviest air strikes on Ukraine since the start of the war. According to the Ukrainian air force, 158 missiles and combat drones were used. Among the targets attacked was the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is around 70 kilometers from the Polish border. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than 22 months.
Soldiers search for debris
Poland's Chief of the General Staff said that most of the Russian missiles had been tracked during the night. One then flew over the Ukrainian border with Poland. "We instructed our aircraft to intercept it and shoot it down if necessary." However, this was not possible due to the short time and the way the missile flew. To be on the safe side, however, soldiers were still searching for any debris on the ground along the flight path.
There was no exact information on where the flying object had disappeared from the radar and in which direction it was flying. The news channel TVN24 showed images of police and soldiers searching for debris near the town of Zamosc in the south-east of the country. "The object was black, about one to two meters long and flew very low, lower than an airplane," a resident of the village of Komarow-Osada told the portal Onet.pl. The mayor of the village said that so far there was no evidence that anything had crashed to earth.
NATO and US President informed
Prime Minister Donald Tusk held a meeting with Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the army general staff and intelligence chiefs. Polish President Andrzej Duda convened a meeting of the National Security Office. He also informed NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg about the incident.
"NATO stands in solidarity with our valued ally, we are monitoring the situation and will remain in contact while the facts are established," Stoltenberg wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter.
Post Stoltenberg
The White House said that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had spoken to his Polish counterpart Jacek Siewiera and offered technical assistance. US President Joe Biden is following the matter closely.
This is not the first time since the start of hostilities in Ukraine that flying objects have penetrated Polish airspace. In November 2022, a missile hit a Polish village on the border with Ukraine, killing two civilians. The West assumes that it was a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile that had been deployed to defend against Russian attacks.
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- Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, reaffirmed the alliance's commitment to Poland, stating that NATO stands by its member and remains vigilant in response to the Russian missile violating Polish airspace during Russia's airstrikes on Ukraine.
- The US President was informed about the incident by Polish President Andrzej Duda, and the White House offered technical assistance through National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaking with his Polish counterpart Jacek Siewiera.
- Since the start of hostilities in Ukraine, this is not the first time that flying objects have penetrated Polish airspace, as a missile hit a Polish village on the border with Ukraine in November 2022, resulting in the deaths of two civilians.
- According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia conducted the heaviest airstrikes on Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Friday, using 158 missiles and combat drones, with Lviv, a western Ukrainian city located approximately 70 kilometers from the Polish border, among the targets.
- The Polish army reported that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace for about three minutes and flew over 40 kilometers before exiting, and they were prepared to intercept it with their aircraft but were unable to do so due to the short time and accurate flight path of the missile.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued to escalate tensions by carrying out airstrikes on Ukraine and invading Ukrainian territory for more than 22 months, resulting in ongoing conflicts and airstrikes that have put NATO countries like Poland in a precarious position.
- The incident in Polish airspace has raised concerns about the potential for further escalation of conflicts between Russia and NATO countries, prompting calls for increased vigilance and cooperation among alliance members to protect their sovereignty and ensure the safety of their citizens.
Source: www.stern.de
