Russian cruise missile breaches Polish airspace: army

He said that the missile would have been shot down "had there been any indication it was heading for a target on Polish territory".

The army said the missile, which was travelling at almost 800 kilometres per hour (500 mph) around 400 metres (1,300 feet) above the ground, had crossed about two kilometres over the border into Poland.

"Polish airspace was breached by one of the cruise missiles fired in the night by the air forces... of the Russian Federation," the army wrote on X.
"The object flew through Polish airspace above the village of Oserdow (Lublin province) and stayed for 39 seconds," the statement said, adding that it was tracked by military radar throughout its flight.

"The Polish army is constantly monitoring the situation on Ukrainian territory and remains on permanent alert to ensure the security of Polish airspace," the army said. A similar incident occurred on December 29, 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.

In November 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air-defence missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, close to the Ukrainian border. Before the missile was identified as Ukrainian, fears were raised that NATO -- of which Poland is a member -- would be dragged into an escalation of the conflict with Russia if its collective defence provisions were triggered.