Russian missiles fired towards the NATO border with Ukraine have forced Poland to scramble at least three F-16 fighter jets.
As tensions between the Western military alliance and Moscow remain high, Poland’s reaction to a potential threat is already being tested.
The missiles reportedly flew over Ukraine’s Lviv area bordering Poland on a morning filled with attacks launched by the Kremlin’s forces.
Speaking about the Russian strikes on Ukraine, the operational command of the Armed Forces of Poland said: “Intensive long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation is being observed due to missile strikes on Ukrainian territory.
“All necessary procedures aimed at ensuring the safety of Polish airspace have been launched.”
The command added Poland was “constantly monitoring the situation”. It added: “We warn you that Polish and allied aircraft have been activated, which may cause increased noise levels, especially in the southeast area of the country.”
This isn’t the first time NATO member Poland has been impacted by Russian strikes since the beginning of the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.
In April last year, Poland discovered a Russian KH-55 missile in a forest close to the village of Zamosc near the northern city of Bydgoszcz.
In December, Poland’s armed forces chief General Wieslaw Kukula said to believe a Russian missile had entered his country’s airspace for almost three minutes before turning back into Ukraine.
The latest incident came as Russia pummelled several Ukrainian cities with missile strikes.
In the early hours of January 7, several loud explosions were reported in Kyiv. The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said air defence systems were engaged and urged people to find shelter.
Moreover, a missile attack in Mykolaiv, a city near the Black Sea, killed one person and damaged at least 20 residential buildings and other infrastructure.
The city’s mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych wrote on the messaging app Telegram: “There are damaged residential buildings. About 20 of them are without roofs. Damage to gas and water supply networks is already being eliminated by utility workers.
“There are wounded. One person is hospitalised. Others were helped on the spot.” The man hospitalised later died, Mr Sienkevych added in a separate message.
Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, also reported Russian missiles hitting non-residential infrastructure in Kharkiv city.
