Poland activates air defense system after blaming Russia for airspace violation

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Poland has activated its air defense system in response to what Warsaw claimed was an airspace violation by a Russian missile, local media reported on Friday.

“A Russian missile entered Polish airspace and eventually left. We have national and allied and radar confirmation,” the state-run PAP news agency reported, citing Chief of Polish General Staff Wieslaw Kukula.

He noted that the missile was one of many launched by Russian bomber planes during Thursday night's massive missile attack on various parts of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Maciej Klisz, operational commander of the Polish Armed Forces, has announced that the missile flew within 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) of Polish airspace for less than three minutes.

Commenting on the incident, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said on X, “NATO stands in solidarity with our valued Ally, is monitoring the situation and we will remain in contact as the facts are established. NATO remains vigilant.”

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in a statement that Russia carried out a massive air attack on the country's industrial and military targets last night.

He claimed that 158 airstrikes were detected by Ukrainian radars, with 114 successfully repelled.