Russian missile incursion into Polish airspace raises NATO defense concerns

During the night, the Lviv region neighbouring Poland in Ukraine was the target of a Russian missile and drone attack. Suddenly, one of the Russian missiles entered Polish airspace. As reported by the Operational Command of the Armed Forces on Sunday morning, the violation of Polish airspace occurred at 3:23 AM Greenwich Time. The manoeuvring missile launched by the Russian aviation flew over the village Oserdów (Ulhówek municipality) and immediately returned towards Ukraine. It was in Polish skies for 39 seconds.

The headman of Oserdów, who told WP what he saw, witnessed the missile flight.

The Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said on Sunday that due to the threat on Ukrainian territory, all air defence systems and air forces were activated in Poland. - Monitoring covered about a dozen missiles heading towards the Lviv region. This monitoring also included the exchange of information with the Ukrainian side - he said.

- General Klisz, who as the operational commander makes decisions about specific actions, in this case also analysed the situation and made the most correct decision; a decision that ensures the security of Poland - said the Minister of National Defence.

Gen. Maciej Klisz in a conversation with "Rzeczpospolita" said that Poland is ready to potentially shoot down a missile. - The technical possibility of destroying such an object is not the biggest problem - he said. However, he added that every time the impact of missile debris falling, for example, on a city is taken into account.

According to Gen. Bogusław Pacek, Poland's missile threat response capability does not differ much from the capabilities of other countries in this part of Europe.

- Our greatest response capability is through the use of duty aircraft pairs, which can quickly reach and shoot down a missile. That's why every time a threat appears over Ukraine, our and allied fighters take off, being on standby around the clock - says Bogusław Pacek, former rector of the National Defence Academy, in a conversation with WP.

- Another possibility is action through the Patriot systems, which we already have. But it's important to remember that they operate at a distance of up to 160 km. Therefore, launchers have to be in the area where a threat appears. If the Polish airspace was crossed at the height of Suwałki and the launcher was near Rzeszów, obviously it couldn't be used - notes Gen. Pacek.

The former military emphasises that Poland is constantly improving its ability to respond to air threats.

- I'm talking about the air defence system, especially medium-range. If we were to say that this system is more effective, it would require a lot more Patriot launchers. This concerns the "Wisła" program, which is still in development - says Bogusław Pacek.

- So we can't say that the Polish system is 100 percent effective and that it will 100 percent catch each missile, or every aircraft that crosses our border. Such systems do not exist - emphasises he.

Recently, Russia has been attacking targets in Ukraine with increasing intensity. And a Russian missile enters Polish airspace again. Previously, such an incident occurred on 29 December last year. The missile was then seen over the Komarów-Osada municipality near Zamość.

- Russia recently officially declared that what is happening in Ukraine is not a special operation, but a war. With emphasis on the fact that this is a war involving the West. The consequence of such a signal from Russia is the element that Russia is currently implementing, namely intimidation. It has a military dimension, but also political, diplomatic, and to a large extent, propagandistic-psychological. This psychological impact also concerns Western countries, not just Ukraine - assesses Bogusław Pacek in a conversation with WP.

According to him, such war actions conducted close to the border are intended to instil fear of Russia.

- The crossing of Polish airspace by a Russian missile for 39 seconds may be a sign of a mistake, that's true. However, operating on the border is not a mistake but a deliberate action - believes Bogusław Pacek.

- The current situation indicates the need for strengthening air defence on the eastern Polish border with the involvement of other NATO countries - declares the former rector of the National Defence Academy.

Last night, the Russian army conducted air strikes on Kyiv and the Lviv region. About ten missiles were shot down over the capital of Ukraine. Toward the Lviv region, 20 missiles and seven drones were headed. They struck a critical infrastructure object - reported Maksym Kozicki, head of the region's authorities.

- What Russia is implementing right now is not the scenario of defeating Ukraine, that scenario is probably being planned. Today, what is happening, is the depletion of Ukraine before the next phase, which is planned as more dangerous, that is, achieving the planned goals against Ukraine - foresees Gen. Pacek.

As he notes, weakening with such actions the will of the West is a deliberate policy of Putin, which is partly effective for Russia. However, the stance of European countries is different from that of the United States, where it's not about intimidation, but about the matter of presidential elections and the blockade of US aid for Ukraine, which got stuck in Congress.

- When it comes to Europe, it's clear that the approach of countries differs. Some of them, like the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, France, or Britain, behave unequivocally in their declarations, supporting Ukraine and boldly directing their anti-war rhetoric against Russia. But there are also countries like Slovakia, Hungary, or Bulgaria, which are in the family of countries doubting whether to provoke Russia. This is of course the result showing the effectiveness of similar actions by Putin - evaluates Bogusław Pacek.