A Russian cruise missile fired at cities in western Ukraine violated Polish airspace, the Polish army said on Sunday. Poland said this Sunday that it would demand an explanation from Moscow about what happened.
“Above all, we call on the Russian Federation to put an end to terrorist air strikes against the population and territory of Ukraine, to end the war and to focus on the country’s internal problems,” the Ministry of Business spokesman said. Foreigners, Pawel Wronski, in a statement.
For about 40 seconds, “Polish airspace was violated by one of the cruise missiles fired during the night by the air forces… of the Russian Federation,” the army wrote on the X social media platform.
“The object crossed Polish airspace above the village of Oserdow (Lublin province) and remained there for 39 seconds,” the statement added.
The army said the missile was tracked by military radar throughout its flight.
“The Polish army is constantly monitoring the situation on Ukrainian territory and remains on permanent alert to ensure the security of Polish airspace,” the army said.
Poland activated its air defense procedures during the incident, the armed forces’ operational command said in its statement. The army said the missile was traveling at almost 800 kilometers per hour at about 400 meters above the ground, having crossed about two kilometers over the border with Poland.
Following a “massive attack” by Russia against Ukraine, Poland activated “all air defense systems, all air force systems”, said the country’s Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The missile would have been shot down “if there was any indication that it was headed for a target on Polish territory”.
A similar incident occurred on December 29, 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.
In November 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air defense missile landed in the Polish village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine.
Before the missile was identified as Ukrainian, it was feared that NATO – of which Poland is a member – would be drawn into an escalation of the conflict with Russia if its collective defense provisions were triggered.
