A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace after approaching from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Polish authorities said on Wednesday.
The incident was reported by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.
According to a statement posted on X, the Russian helicopter remained inside Polish airspace for approximately 42 seconds and penetrated around 300 meters into the country’s airspace.
Following the incident, Poland scrambled fighter jets, while ground forces and military assets were placed on heightened alert.
The Polish Operational Command said the circumstances of the incident raised concerns that Russia could be testing the readiness of Poland’s air-defense systems.
Kaliningrad is a Russian territory separated from the rest of Russia and located between Poland and Lithuania, both of which are members of NATO.
