The Polish Armed Forces reported this Wednesday a brief incursion into their airspace by a Russian military helicopter Mi-8, an episode that has led Warsaw to order the takeoff of its combat aircraft.
The incident occurred at 11:08 a.m. (local time) north of the town of Braniewo. According to the statement released by the Army, the aircraft took off from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and penetrated approximately 300 meters into Polish airspace, where it remained for 42 seconds.
Military authorities have emphasized that the helicopter's trajectory was continuously monitored by the Armed Forces' radars. After detecting the incursion, the deployment of fighter jets was immediately ordered, while ground units and resources were put on a high alert level.
"The nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense," warned the Operational Command of the Armed Forces in its note.
In the face of such episodes, the Polish Army has insisted that the crews of its air defense systems carry out "uninterrupted" surveillance tasks and remain in "constant alert" with the aim of safeguarding the security and integrity of national airspace.
This new Russian incursion comes after last Tuesday, September 15, several NATO fighters shot down a drone in the airspace of Lithuania, over the Kaunas district, after alarms were activated due to its detection. Following that episode, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, denounced a "pattern" of aggression and provocations by Russia against Europe.