Warsaw: Poland has officially announced its intention to seek an explanation from Moscow following a concerning incident where a Russian cruise missile, part of a larger assault on Ukraine, violated Polish airspace. This event marks an escalation in Moscow’s ongoing military operations against Ukraine.
In a public statement, Pawel Wronski, a spokesperson for the Polish foreign ministry, called upon the Russian Federation to cease its “terrorist airstrikes” on Ukrainian civilians and territories. He urged Russia to conclude the war and address its domestic issues instead. The statement came in response to a significant Russian offensive against Ukraine, which prompted Poland to activate its air defense and air force systems as a precautionary measure.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s Defence Minister, stated that measures were in place to intercept the missile had it posed a direct threat to Polish soil. The missile, traveling at a speed of nearly 800 kilometers per hour and at an altitude of approximately 400 meters, intruded roughly two kilometers into Polish territory.
The Polish military confirmed the breach, reporting that the missile flew over the village of Oserdow in the Lublin province for a duration of 39 seconds. It was continuously monitored by military radar during its flight. The army emphasized its ongoing vigilance over the situation in Ukraine and its commitment to maintaining the security of Poland’s airspace.
This incident is not isolated; a similar occurrence was reported on December 29, 2023, when a Russian missile entered Polish airspace for an extended period before returning to Ukraine. Additionally, in November 2022, a Ukrainian air-defense missile tragically resulted in two fatalities when it landed in the Polish village of Przewodow, near the Ukrainian border. The initial uncertainty regarding the missile’s origin raised concerns about the potential involvement of NATO, of which Poland is a member, in an intensified conflict with Russia.
