Poland says Russian missile entered its airspace before leaving it

Poland, a NATO member, claimed that a Russian missile entered its airspace on Friday, December 29. “Everything indicates that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace. We spotted it using radar. It left this space” immediately, towards Ukraine, target of a deadly wave of Russian strikes, declared to the press the chief of staff of the Polish army, Wieslaw Kukula.

The missile flew over Polish airspace for three minutes, over around forty kilometers, said Maciej Klisz, operational commander of the Polish army. “We sent our forces there, planes to intercept it and shoot it down if necessary, but time [de survol] and the way in which he maneuvered (…) allowed the missile to leave Polish territory”declared the general again.

To avoid any mistake, a ground search was launched at the location where the missile’s radio signal was lost, army officials said. After this incident, Polish civil and military authorities held emergency meetings, and President Andrzej Duda spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In November 2022, a Ukrainian missile had already fallen on the Polish village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine, killing two civilians.