Polish Army claims missile that entered Poland was Russian
2 Min Read
The Polish armed forces reported that an unidentified airborne object entered Polish airspace from Ukraine, was tracked by air defense, and then vanished from radars.
-
Chief of Poland's armed forces Gen. Wieslaw Kukula tells the media that everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded into eastern Poland's airspace and left after a short time, following a national security meeting over the incident in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 (AP Photo)
The Polish military scrambled planes to intercept and destroy a missile that breached Ukrainian airspace but was unable to do so in time, according to Polish military Operational Commander Maciej Klisz on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Polish armed forces reported that an unidentified airborne object entered Polish airspace from Ukraine was tracked by air defense, and then vanished from radars.
Following a breach of the country's airspace, Polish President Andrzej Duda called an emergency meeting with military chiefs.
Wieslaw Kukula, Chief of the Polish General Staff, claimed the missile belonged to Russia but presented no evidence.
Klisz explained to reporters that "We sent forces, planes, which were supposed to intercept it and, if necessary, shoot it down. But the time of its [missile's] stay in Poland, as well as the nature of its maneuvering, made this impossible. Therefore, the missile left the territory of Poland."
"Everything indicates that the Russian missile invaded Polish airspace, we monitored it on the radar, and [it] left the airspace,"
The Polish General Staff also alleged that the missile which violated the Polish airspace belonged to Russia, but gave no evidence for such a claim.
Ukrainian-Polish relations have stagnated with the beginning of a grain dispute between both countries. The conflict stemmed from Poland's decision to prohibit the import of Ukrainian grain, a measure taken to safeguard the welfare of its agricultural sector.
In September of this year, the Prime Minister of Poland announced that they would cease sending weaponry to Ukraine to prioritize their defense. This decision comes shortly after Warsaw called in Ukraine's ambassador, leading to a dispute over grain exports.
Responding to a question on whether Warsaw would maintain its support for Kiev despite the disagreement over grain exports, Mateusz Morawiecki said, "We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons."
