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Footage of the Russian rocket attacks on Kiev on Sunday
Photo: Gleb Garanich / REUTERS
The alleged violation of Polish airspace by a Russian cruise missile early Sunday morning has diplomatic consequences. The Foreign Ministry in Warsaw will summon the Russian ambassador, who will have to explain himself, said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna, according to the PAP agency. Further action depends on the information provided by the ambassador.
The cruise missile was over Polish territory for 39 seconds, Szejna said on Polsat TV. If this had lasted any longer, he would have been shot down.
According to the Polish General Staff, the airspace was violated at 4:23 a.m. by a cruise missile launched by a Russian long-range aircraft. The Russian attacks targeted cities in western Ukraine. The object entered Polish airspace near the village of Oserdów (Lublin Voivodeship).
The Polish military had already discovered that its airspace had been violated by a Russian missile at the end of December. And in November 2022, a rocket hit a Polish village on the border with Ukraine, killing two civilians. The West assumes that it was a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile that was used to defend against Russian attacks.
hpi/dpa