Russian missile 'flew over Polish airspace'

The Polish military says a Russian missile flew from Ukraine into its airspace and then returned across the border.

"All indications are that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace. It left our airspace," General Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the Polish military's general staff, said on December 29. "Our radar and our allies confirm this."

Major General Maciej Klisz, commander of Polish military operations, said the Russian missile entered Polish airspace at around 7am (1pm Hanoi time). The missile flew about 40km deep, traveled in Polish airspace for three minutes and then returned to Ukraine.

Russian Tu-95MS bomber launches cruise missile in 2017. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense — Russian Tu-95MS bomber launches cruise missile in 2017. Photo: *Russian Ministry of Defense*

"We mobilize forces, including fighter jets, to intercept and shoot down the missile if necessary. The missile's flight path and travel time make it impossible for us to do this," General Klisz said.

Polish defense officials and military commanders said that in the large-scale coordinated air strikes against Ukraine, Russian forces initially attacked with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and then with missiles.

Russia has not commented on the above information.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on December 29 that Russia launched 90 Kh-101/555 cruise missiles, 14 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-300 air defense systems, 5 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 8 Kh-22/32 supersonic anti-ship missiles and 36 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an unprecedented large-scale attack.

Ukraine claims to have shot down 87 Kh-101/555 cruise missiles and 27 suicide drones, or 72% of the total weapons used by Russia. However, Ukrainian air defenses failed to intercept any of the Kinzhal, Kh-22/32, S-300, Iskander-M, Kh-31P and Kh-59 missiles.

General Klisz said Polish air defenses were on high alert due to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. In November 2022, a stray Ukrainian missile hit the village of Przewodow near the border, killing two people.