A Russian military helicopter violated Polish airspace for 42 seconds on Wednesday morning. This was stated by the Polish Army Operational Command on the X platform on Wednesday. According to the command, the incident suggests that Russia is testing the readiness of Poland’s air defence.
The helicopter, a Mi-8 belonging to the Russian armed forces, took off from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, entered Polish airspace at an altitude of approximately 300 metres shortly after 11:00 and remained there for 42 seconds. The airspace violation took place near Braniewo in the north-east of the country.
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Poland was able to track the helicopter’s flight via radar systems. The army also scrambled fighter jets and put ground troops on alert. The command emphasises that Polish air defences remain on alert round the clock.
On Tuesday, Polish fighter jets intercepted another Russian Il-40 reconnaissance aircraft approximately 40 kilometres off the Polish coast. The Polish Minister of Defence, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, spoke of “constant pressure”.
