Russian Mi-8 helicopter violated Polish airspace
On 23 September, the Polish military recorded a violation of the state border by a Russian helicopter (Mi-8) flying from the Kaliningrad region. In response, Poland scrambled fighter jets and put its ground forces and equipment on alert.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.
According to the Polish military, the incident took place at 11.08 north of the village of Braniewo.
"The helicopter was flying from the Kaliningrad region. It entered Polish airspace to a maximum depth of around 300 metres and remained there for 42 seconds," the statement said.
The flight of the Russian Mi-8 was tracked by the radar systems of the Polish Armed Forces. Once the violation had been detected, fighter jets were scrambled, whilst ground forces and assets were placed on standby.
"The nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence," the Operational Command stated.
They added that the crews of Poland’s air defence systems are monitoring the situation around the clock and remain on constant standby to ensure the security of the country’s airspace.
- As previously reported by Censor.NET, staff at the border crossing points in Dorohusk and Zosin on the border with Ukraine in the Lublin Voivodeship of Poland were evacuated on the morning of 23 September due to an air threat. Border checks were temporarily suspended, but resumed once the alert was lifted.
- In Poland, on the morning of 23 September, operations at Rzeszów and Lublin airports were temporarily suspended following the Russian attack on Ukraine. The restrictions were introduced to ensure that the Polish Air Force could operate freely.
