Provocations with Russian missiles in Polish airspace threaten wider war - Duda
Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Russian missiles in the airspace of the Russian Federation are a provocation that can ignite a wider war.
As Censor.NET reports, he stated this in an interview with the WSJ.
On March 24, 2024, a Russian cruise missile entered Polish airspace for 39 seconds.
"We have no doubts that these are Russian provocations when the missile enters our airspace, then turns around and flies to Ukraine," the Polish leader said.
NATO forces did not try to intercept Russian missiles. At the same time, Duda expressed concern that such actions could lead to an attack on Polish territory, destruction of infrastructure, or human casualties.
"This is the most dangerous situation we can imagine today because it is a situation in which we can say that Russia has started a war," Duda explained.
The Polish leader also said that the shooting down of a missile over Polish airspace could result in casualties from debris. Also, NATO members are wary of shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine, as, in their opinion, this would mean direct intervention in the conflict, which the Alliance avoids.
Duda declined to say how his country would react if a Russian missile did indeed cause casualties in Poland, or whether he would try to invoke NATO's collective defense agreement.
"I believe that we should try to avoid a situation in which Russia could say that it was provoked by NATO. So far, it is Russia that is provoking, and everyone can see it," he concluded.
A Russian missile in the airspace of Poland
The country will demand an explanation from the Russian Federation because of the missile that flew into Polish airspace. It was also reported that on the night of March 24, Poland activated its Armed Forces in connection with a massive Russian missile attack on the territory of Ukraine.
