A long-range Russian missile briefly strayed into Polish airspace during a massive missile attack on Ukraine over the weekend, prompting the Polish government to demand an explanation.
The Russian cruise missile entered Polish airspace at 4:23 a.m. local time near Oserdow, an agricultural town near the Poland-Ukraine border, and stayed there for 39 seconds, Armed Forces Operational Command of Poland said in a statement.
The missile incursion took place as Russia targeted Kyiv with a missile attack, the third Russian missile campaign on Ukraine in the past four days, according to the Associated Press. There were no immediate signs of casualties or damage from the missile attacks, said Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration.
“For the third pre-dawn morning this week, all of Ukraine is under an air alert and has been advised to seek shelter. Russia continues to indiscriminately launch drones and missiles with no regard for millions of civilians, violating international law,” said U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink.
The rockets were launched from the Engels district in the Russian region of Saratov and went into Kyiv from the north. Russia has characterized the attacks as revenge for Ukrainian attacks during its presidential election. Russian President Vladimir Putin won the staged presidential election with nearly 88 percent of the vote, ensuring Putin will rule for at least another six years.
The Russian missile crossed into Poland’s airspace as Russia targeted the Lviv region in western Ukraine. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said 20 missiles and seven attack drones targeted “critical infrastructure projects” in the region, but there were no attacks recorded on the city itself.
Polish defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland would have shot down the Russian missile if it was approaching a military target, the AP reported. Poland, a NATO member, monitored the missile attack on Ukraine and communicated with Ukrainian authorities.
“As last night’s rocket attack on Ukraine was one of the most intense since the beginning of the Russian aggression, all the strategic procedures were launched on time and the object was monitored until it left the Polish air space,” the defense minister said.
Polish and NATO F-16s were activated and the country’s foreign affairs ministry demanded an explanation for the violation of its airspace.
“Poland will demand explanations from Russia in connection with another violation of the country’s airspace,” the Polish foreign affairs ministry said on X. “Above all, we call on the Russian Federation to stop terrorist air attacks on the inhabitants and territory of Ukraine.”