Poland says the Russian Federation is “once again” testing the readiness of NATO air defences after a Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace on Wednesday, triggering the deployment of alliance jet interceptors.
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter flew into Polish airspace from the Kaliningrad (Konigsberg, Królewiec) Oblast — a Russian territorial exclave in northern Europe — on Wednesday morning, triggering an alert. Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and ground troops were placed on alert, the Polish military’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces in Warsaw said.
The incursion into Polish, and NATO, airspace was very brief. According to the military command centre, the military transport helicopter flew in at an altitude of 300 meters (1,000 feet) for just 42 seconds. The helicopter flew into Poland from Kaliningrad near the town of Braniewo in the Warmia (Ermland) region, close to to he Vistula Lagoon.
A statement from Warsaw stated it was their belief the incident “indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense.”
The drift of Russian aircraft and munitions into NATO airspace has become a persistent issue, to the extent that in most cases it ...