Polish jets intercept Russian reconnaissance plane spotted near airspace

Poland’s defence curate said Russian craft was ‘escorted’ from country and did not airs contiguous information threat.

Poland said its aerial unit intercepted a “Russian reconnaissance aircraft” flying adjacent the borderline of its airspace conscionable hours aft tracking suspected smuggling balloons coming from the absorption of neighbouring Belarus.

“This morning, implicit the planetary waters of the Baltic Sea, Polish combatant jets intercepted, visually identified, and escorted a Russian reconnaissance craft flying adjacent the borderline of Polish airspace from their country of responsibility,” the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said successful a station connected X connected Thursday.

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Polish forces besides tracked chartless “objects” flying successful the absorption of Poland from Belarus during the erstwhile night, prompting Warsaw to temporarily adjacent civilian airspace successful the northeast of the country.

“After elaborate analysis, it was determined that these were astir apt smuggling balloons, moving successful the absorption and astatine the velocity of the wind. Their formation was continuously monitored by our radar systems,” Operational Command said.

The station did not disclose immoderate further details astir the fig oregon size of the balloons.

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said connected X that the incidents did not airs an contiguous menace to Poland’s security, and helium thanked the “nearly 20,000 of our soldiers who, during the Holidays, ticker implicit our safety”.

“All provocations implicit the Baltic Sea and adjacent the borderline with Belarus were nether the afloat power of the Polish Army,” helium said.

Translation: Another engaged nighttime for the operational services of the Polish Army. All provocations, some implicit the Baltic Sea and implicit the borderline with Belarus, were nether afloat control. I convey astir 20,000 of our soldiers who, during the Holidays, ticker implicit our information – and arsenic tin beryllium seen – bash truthful highly effectively.

The Belarusian and Russian ‌embassies successful Warsaw did not instantly respond ⁠to the Reuters quality agency’s requests for comment.

Smuggler balloons from Belarus person repeatedly disrupted aerial postulation successful neighbouring Lithuania, forcing airdrome closures. Lithuania says the balloons are sent by smugglers transporting cigarettes and ‌constitute a “hybrid attack” by Belarus, a adjacent state of Russia. Belarus has denied work for the balloons.

The latest aerial alerts successful Poland came 3 months aft Poland and NATO forces changeable down much than a twelve Russian drones arsenic they flew implicit Polish airspace betwixt September 9 and 10.

The lawsuit was the largest incursion of its benignant connected Polish airspace since Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022.

Following the incident, NATO-member Poland called an exigency league of the United Nations Security Council to sermon the “blatant usurpation of the UN Charter principles and the customary law”.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said astatine the clip that Russia was investigating however rapidly NATO countries could respond to threats.