The object entered Poland space near the town of Oserdów in the Ukraine-bordering Lublin Voivodeship - and moved through Polish territory for 39 seconds. During the entire flight, the missile was observed by the Polish military radar systems.
"It moved at a speed of almost 800 km/h, at an altitude of 400 m, and crossed the border by about 2 kilometers" - said Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski, Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command spokesman, during a press conference on Sunday morning. He explained that no decision was made to shoot it down, as the missile stayed in Poland's airspace for a very short time and was not within the range of fire of any Polish military assets.
This is the third missile to violate Polish airspace since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The Polish Army assured that it constantly monitors the near-border situation and remains prepared to ensure the safety of Polish airspace.
The event took place during a Saturday to Sunday night anti-missile alert announced across Ukraine, as numerous cruise missiles targeting Ukrainian cities were launched by Russian strategic bombers.
Poland's Defence Ministry issued a statement addressing the situation on Sunday morning. "We call on the Russian Federation to stop its terrorist air attacks against Ukraine's citizens and territory" - the ministry wrote, adding that "Poland will demand explanations from the Russian Federation due to yet another of its violations of the Polish airspace".
Russia first illegally invaded Ukraine in 2014 - and has occupied a significant part of the country ever since. On February 24, 2022, Moscow took things further mounting an unlawful and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine - which is the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
The United Nations reports state that since the full-scale invasion started, Russians have committed numerous war crimes in Ukraine, often attacking non-military targets and killing tens of thousands of civilians in the process.
Sunday is day 760 of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, MON