A Russian missile flew for around 40 kilometers and probably left Polish airspace without touching the ground before reentering Ukraine. The event took place in southeastern Poland, near the Ukrainian border on Dec. 29, not far away from where a missile from Ukraine exploded last year, killing two people.
It was also the space that was until recently patrolled by German patriot air defenses stationed in Poland.
According to Ukrainian military portal Defence Express, the fact that the rocket entered an area that was until recently patrolled by the Patriot batteries, suggests that this was no accident. It was more likely to have been a test by the Russians to monitor Polish reactions, both operational and political.
The incident took place on the day in which Russia launched its biggest air attack on Ukraine since the start of the invasion in February 2022. When the missile appeared over Polish territory, aircraft were directed to intercept it. However, it managed to leave Polish airspace before they could do that,
NATO allies were informed of the incident, and the defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, assured that the coordination and cooperation between the government, military and allied forces was “good.” President Andrzej Duda also held a meeting of the National Security Bureau to discuss the incursion.
Duda, a member of the conservative (PiS) opposition, has not criticized the government over the fact the rocket entered Polish airspace and was not shot down, but he did note that when similar incidents took place in Przewodów and Bydgoszcz, the then PiS government had been criticized for inadequate reactions.
