Poland steps up airspace protection after Russian provocations
Poland is stepping up protection of its airspace and increasing Air Force activity, including F-16 fighter jets and helicopters, following recent Russian "provocations and acts of aggression," Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
"I have decided to expand the protection of our airspace following recent Russian provocations and acts of aggression," Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Sept. 17.
The minister said recent weeks had shown that Russian provocations were taking different forms and posing threats in places previously considered safe.
Poland is continuously monitoring the situation along its eastern border and strengthening rapid-response systems across the country, he added.
The announcement came amid a series of Russian attacks close to Poland's border with Ukraine.
On Sept. 17, a Russian drone crashed or was shot down about four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Polish-Ukrainian border. The incident occurred near a gas station that had already been damaged in a Russian attack days earlier.
On Sept. 13, a Russian strike damaged the gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing as well as a locomotive nearby.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski subsequently described Russian strikes near the border as another escalation by Moscow, saying that "Russian terrorism is already in the house."
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