Missile violates Polish airspace as Russia pounds Ukraine
By Aliaksandr Kudrytski and Vanessa Gera
Kyiv: Poland has demanded an explanation from Russia after one of its missiles strayed into Polish airspace during a major missile attack on Ukraine on Sunday, prompting the NATO member to activate F-16 fighter jets.
It was Russia’s third big missile attack on Ukraine in four days, and the second to target the capital, Kyiv.
A medical worker comforts a woman after a Russian air attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on Friday. The latest barrage from Russian forces has hit targets all over Ukraine.Credit: AP
The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on the Telegram platform that critical infrastructure was hit, but he didn’t specify what precisely was struck. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Later, authorities said that rescuers had just put out a fire at a critical infrastructure facility in the Lviv region.
Russia launched 57 missiles and drones on Ukraine in the early hours, including attacking Kyiv and the western region of Lviv, which is near the Polish border.
Ukrainian air defence downed 18 out of 29 missiles and most of 28 Shahed drones fired by Kremlin forces, the country’s air force command said on Telegram.
Kyiv’s forces, meanwhile, struck two Russian ships off the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Poland’s defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, centre, in December 2023.Credit: AP
The Russian cruise missile entered Polish airspace for 39 seconds, the country’s military said on X. Authorities in Warsaw notified NATO allies about the incident, said Jacek Siewiera, the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau.
The Polish air force and allies scrambled jets to monitor airspace during the attack, which was launched from at least 13 Russian strategic bombers, the country’s armed forces spokesman Jacek Goryszewski said in a televised press briefing.
“All strategic security measures were undertaken,” Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters in Krakow.
The Polish foreign ministry said that it would “demand explanations from the Russian Federation in connection with another violation of the country’s airspace”.
“Above all, we call on the Russian Federation to stop the terrorist air attacks on the inhabitants and territory of Ukraine, end the war, and address the country’s internal problems,” the statement read.
It was the third incident involving missiles in Polish airspace since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
The incident is significant because any attack on a NATO country risks bringing the alliance – including the USA and Western European powers – into the conflict.
Polish forces were placed on alert after Russian Tu-95 fighter jets took off about 2am (local time) on Sunday. The missile violated Poland’s airspace to a depth of nearly two kilometres before exiting, Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
The missile would have been taken down if its trajectory had been further into Polish territory, according to the defence minister.
Explosive-laden drones also damaged Danube port infrastructure in the Odesa region, Ukraine’s Southern Military Command said on Facebook.
It was the third major Russian attack against Ukraine in four days. Thursday’s strikes centred on Kyiv, while those on Friday targeted the country’s energy facilities, the largest such barrage since the start of Russia’s invasion.
While Ukrainian forces continued to repel attacks along the 1200-kilometre front line, they also took aim at targets inside Moscow-controlled areas.
Kyiv’s forces stuck Russian vessels and military installations in annexed Crimea again on Sunday morning. The landing ships Yamal and Azov were struck, as well as a communications centre and other military infrastructure in Sevastopol, the country’s General Staff said on Telegram.
Sevastopol, home base of Russia’s Black Sea, last week suffered one of the heaviest missile attacks since the war started, Kremlin-installed city Governor Mikail Razvozhayev said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the nation’s pilots and navy in a Telegram statement on Friday after reports of explosions on the Russia-annexed peninsula. “Crimea is ours! Jointly – toward victory!” he said.
Bloomberg, Reuters,
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