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Could it have been a violation of Polish airspace? "We had a suspicion."

Interia

Poland

Saturday, September 13


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"We suspected that our airspace had been violated. We are verifying this information," Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski, spokesman for the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, told Interia. He added that Saturday's military operation was carried out due to the threat of drone attacks in the Volyn Oblast, which borders Poland.

Rzecznik Dowództwa Operacyjnego RSZ ppłk Jacek Goryszewski
Spokesman of the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, Leszek SzymańskiPAP

The spokesman for the Operational Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, was asked in an interview with Interia whether our airspace could have been crossed on Saturday.

- We had such a suspicion. We are verifying this information - the military officer said.

Operation near the Polish border. Military details

The military officer noted that the event could also have been the result of a weather anomaly, which is why these reports are being checked.

When asked why the military had taken such intensive action, the spokesman stated that these were"preventive measures" and that "the priority is the safety of citizens".

"There was no talk of a massive attack, but our information indicated that unmanned aerial vehicles might be operating in the Volyn region. The proximity to our border was the deciding factor," noted Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski.

The military scrambled fighter jets, closing the airport. Emergency sirens in cities

The Operational Command of the Armed Forces reported after 4 p.m. that"due to the threat of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in the regions of Ukraine bordering the Republic of Poland, military aviation has begun operating in our airspace."

"In order to ensure the security of our airspace, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces has activated all necessary procedures. Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness," the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces reported on the X website.

Before 7 p.m., the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces announced that"the operation of Polish and allied aviation in our airspace has been terminated" and "the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to standard operational activity."

Due to the situation, the Government Security Centre issued an alert for part of the Lublin Voivodeship, and alarm sirens sounded in Chełm and Świdnik.

The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency reported that"due to military operations, the Lublin airport and the controlled zone around the airport were closed to air operations." A new announcement from 6:40 p.m. states that"the Lublin airport resumed air operations after the military operations ended."

During the Russian Federation's overnight attack on Ukraine on Tuesday night, Polish airspace was repeatedly violated by drones. Those posing a direct threat were shot down by Polish and allied aircraft. Following the incident, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was convened on Friday at Poland's request.

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