As Russian President Vladimir Putin launched another wave of air attacks on Ukraine, Poland scrambled four F-16 fighters to protect its own airspace from hostile missiles.
In April 2023, the wreck of a Russian missile, likely a Kh-55 missile launched over Belarus in December 2022, was discovered in forests near Bydgoszcz in Poland, after having crossed around 500km of Polish territory.
Most recently, on Friday December 29th, a Russian missile entered Poland for almost three minutes and then turned back into Ukrainian airspace.
Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wieslaw Kukula, said the missile travelled about 40km (25 miles) into Polish airspace early in the morning.
The alert coincided with what Ukraine has called Russia’s biggest day of air strikes since its war began.
Poland’s UN representative said Warsaw believes the incident was linked to the massive bombardment.
“We clearly see it as an element of the situation created by the latest wave of Russian attacks,” Krzysztof Szczerski, Poland’s Ambassador to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council.
In other cases of reported air attacks on Ukraine missiles believed to have been fired by Russia have been explained as being Ukrainian, possibly in order to de-escalate, and to avoid a NATO response.
Poland has demonstrated a commitment to the continuous improvement of its F-16 fleet, regularly upgrading and modernising the aircraft to keep pace with evolving threats and technological advancements.
This dedication to maintaining a modern and capable air force reflects Poland’s strategic vision and its determination to ensure the security of its airspace and contribute to the collective defence of the NATO alliance.
Read also: Russian brutality towards civilians “no longer surprising,” UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward tells UNSC
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