Massive attack on Ukraine - Poland's army: Russian missile temporarily penetrated Polish airspace
According to Polish army sources, a Russian missile flew through Polish airspace on Friday morning and left again in the direction of Ukraine. "Everything indicates that a Russian missile has entered Polish airspace," Polish Chief of Staff Wieslaw Kukula told journalists. The missile was spotted by radar and immediately left Polish airspace in the direction of Ukraine. According to the information, the missile was in Polish airspace for around three minutes and flew over 40 kilometers.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of one of the most violent waves of attacks in recent months. Poland's Chief of General Staff said that most of the Russian missiles had been tracked during the night. One of them then flew over the Ukrainian border with Poland. "We instructed our aircraft to intercept them and shoot them down if necessary." However, this was not possible due to the short time and the way the missile was flying. To be on the safe side, however, soldiers are still searching for any debris on the ground along the flight path.
Heavy airstrike by Russia on Ukraine
Russia bombed Ukraine shortly before the New Year celebrations; more than 20 people were killed and more than 130 others injured across the country. The Ukrainian leadership spoke of massive "terror" against the civilian population. By Friday afternoon, 26 people were known to have been killed and 137 injured, according to the regional Ukrainian authorities. There were deaths in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Odessa, Lviv (Lviv) and the capital Kiev.
The military in Kiev spoke of the "most massive air attack" on Ukraine since the beginning of the war - almost two years ago. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia fired 158 missiles and combat drones against the country. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Salushnyj spoke of 122 missiles and cruise missiles as well as 36 drones. Never since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have there been such heavy air strikes in one day as now at the end of the year.
The highest officially reported number of Russian missiles fired at Ukraine in one day to date was more than 90. This time, the air defense was able to intercept more than 70 percent of the Russian attacks, said Salushnyj. The strikes were carried out in several waves from different directions and using strategic bombers.
Missile already hit Poland in 2022
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow only commented on the attack in passing and spoke of a "massive strike with high-precision weapons and drones". It was carried out against military targets such as arms factories, military airports and weapons depots. "All targeted objects were hit," the ministry emphasized.
The air strikes are seen as a targeted attempt by the Russian military leadership to break the resistance of the Ukrainians to the invasion ordered by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Time and again, many civilians fall victim to Russian attacks. Many homes and civilian buildings were also on fire on Friday. There were pictures of devastation. In Kiev, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, injured people had to be pulled from the rubble of a building that had been hit.
In November 2022, a rocket 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 used to defend against Russian attacks.
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In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Valery Salushnyj, the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief, indicated that Russia launched the "most massive air attack" on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, using 158 missiles and combat drones. The incident of a Russian missile temporarily entering Polish airspace towards Ukraine occurred during this violent wave of attacks, as reported by Poland's Chief of General Staff. Tragically, a similar incident occurred in November 2022, when a rocket hit a Polish village on the border with Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of two civilians, with speculations suggesting it may have been a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defending against Russian attacks.
Source: www.stern.de
