On 23 September, north of the town of Braniewo, a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter violated Polish airspace.
This was reported by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.
“On 23 September at 11:08, north of Braniewo, there was a brief violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland by an Mi-8 helicopter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
According to the Polish military, the helicopter was flying from Russia’s Kaliningrad region. It crossed into Polish airspace to a maximum depth of about 300 metres and remained there for 42 seconds.
The Polish military detected the Russian helicopter’s flight using radar systems. In response, the military scrambled fighter jets, and ground forces and assets were placed on alert.
The Polish Operational Command noted that Russia is likely testing the readiness of Poland’s air defences, stressing that air defence system crews monitor the country’s airspace around the clock and remain on constant standby.
- Yesterday, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 aircraft approximately 40 kilometres off the Polish coast.
- In early August, two Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The Russian aircraft was flying in international airspace without an approved flight plan and with its transponder switched off.
- Polish fighter jets also intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft in the Baltic Sea about 30 km off the Polish coast in late August.