Poland scrambles fighter jets after Russian helicopter enters its airspace
publishers 9articles 10first reported 23 Sep, 09:21 UTCdeveloping since 23 Sep · 7 editions
Poland said a Russian military helicopter briefly violated its airspace on Wednesday morning, prompting the NATO member to scramble fighter jets and place ground forces on alert.
The Polish Army Operational Command said the Mi-8 helicopter crossed from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave at 11:08 local time, entered Polish territory to a depth of about 300 metres near Braniewo and remained there for 42 seconds. The helicopter was tracked by radar.
The command said the incident appeared to be another Russian attempt to test Poland’s air-defence readiness. It added that Polish air-defence units operate around the clock to protect the country’s airspace.
Moscow did not immediately comment on the incident. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia plans to attack NATO members.
Russian drones and an unarmed Russian missile have previously landed in Poland since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that Russia was planning drone and missile attacks against Poland and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank, describing an intensifying hybrid threat intended to weaken European support for Ukraine. Russia has denied involvement in hybrid attacks against European countries.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 36 h after the record first saw the story; the editor revised it.
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