OAN’s Elizabeth Bolbelding
11:10am – Sunday, March 24, 2024
Polish authorities are demanding an explanation from Russia after a Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace over the weekend, prompting the NATO member to scramble an F-16 fighter jet.
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According to a statement from Poland’s military operations command, the Russian cruise missile entered Polish airspace at 4:23 a.m. local time near the rural town of Oseldow near the Ukrainian border and remained there for 39 seconds.
of Associated Press Russia has reportedly targeted the capital Kiev for an invasion. This was the second major missile attack on the Ukrainian capital in the past four days, and the third attack by Russia on the country.
Kiev military junta commander Serhiy Popko said there was no immediate sign of damage or casualties from the missile attack.
Popko went on to say that Russia fired a cruise missile from a Tu-95MS strategic bomber. Rockets from the north began to enter Kiev en masse, causing an air alert across the capital for more than two hours. The commander said the attack occurred in the Engels district of Russia’s Saratov region.
It remains unclear whether Russia intended the missile to breach Polish airspace. Cruise missiles can change course to evade air defense systems.
After the incident, Polish Defense Minister Wladysław Kosinak-Kamisz told reporters at a televised press conference that if the Russian missile had shown any signs of approaching its target in Poland, it would have been shot down.
Kosinak-Kamisz also said that Polish officials were monitoring the attack and were in contact with their Ukrainian colleagues, and that NATO and Polish F-16s had been activated as part of the strategic response. Ta.
He added that the missiles penetrated Poland’s airspace by about 1-2 kilometers while Russia targeted the western region of Ukraine around Lviv.
“Last night’s rocket attack on Ukraine was one of the most intense since the beginning of the Russian invasion, so all strategic steps were initiated on time and monitored until the object left Polish airspace.” Kosiniak-Kamish said.
In an interview with a daily newspaper Gazeta WyborczaHenryk Zdib, the village head of Osseldaw, claimed to have seen the missile and also heard the whistle.
“We saw a fast-moving object in the sky. It was illuminated and was flying quite low over the border with Ukraine,” Zdiv told the channel.
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, there have been multiple incursions into Polish airspace, alarming European Union and NATO members and reminding them of how close war is coming. .
“We have to accept the fact that the war is happening right next to us and that we are part of the conflict between the West and Russia,” commentator Artur Bartkiewicz said. Tur Bartkiewicz said. Rzeczpospolita Newspaper Sunday.
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