Responding to an unknown type of Russian missile that entered Polish airspace and later fell on Polish territory – one of many missiles Russia launched into Ukraine overnight – NATO and Poland activated their air and ground defense systems.
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Two NATO fighters were scrambled – Poland’s F-16s, NATO’s multi-role refueling aircraft Airbus A330, Poland’s early warning aircraft Saab 340 (AEW), and Poland’s Mi-24 helicopter, explained Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for NATO’s Allied Command Operations.
NATO also stated that it maintains close contacts with Polish authorities.
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Alexus Grynkewich spoke on Thursday with Polish Armed Forces Commander General Wieslaw Kukula about NATO and Poland’s response to this incident, which is still under investigation.
A. Grynkewich emphasized that “NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to defend Alliance territory.”
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Poland was not the target
Arriving in Lublin, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the missile that entered their country’s territory on Thursday night is a Russian cruise missile “Kh-101.”
According to him, “there is no reason to believe that Poland was the intended target of this missile.”
D. Tusk added that “there are no reports of casualties or damage,” as the object fell in an uninhabited area, and stressed that the Polish military was “prepared to shoot down the missile if it had continued on its intended route.”
He stated that the United States is interested in joining the investigation of this incident.
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