Polandʼs armed forces say it was risky to shoot down a Russian missile

Author:
Sofiia Telishevska
Date:

The spokesman of the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, Lt. Col. Jacek Horyszewski, said that shooting down a Russian missile that flew into the countryʼs airspace on the night of Sunday would be risky, especially for the local population. Horyshevskiiʼs explanation is provided by RMF FM.

"The decision was based on information from our radar systems. "The assessment of the trajectory, speed and height of the missileʼs flight indicated that it will leave our airspace," Horyshevsky noted.

According to him, an attempt to shoot down the rocket would pose a greater risk to local residents.

"The rocket weighs more than two tons, of which 400 kilograms is the combat load. After the missile is shot down, its fragments will fall on our territory. The remains of the projectile, which was used to shoot down the missile itself, will also fall here," he said.

As Horyszewski noted, if the missile had flown deep into Poland, a decision could have been made to shoot it down with another pair of F-16 aircraft.

"The operational commander of the Armed Forces assesses the situation and is authorized to make such a decision. On the other hand, a fighter pilot, even after receiving permission to shoot down such a missile, may not do so in a situation where he understands that its fragments may fall on a hospital or school. The place where the rocket fell is also important for the decision-making process," he noted.

  • On March 24, at 4:23 a.m., a Russian rocket flying at an altitude of 400 meters at a speed of 800 km/h flew 2 kilometers deep into the territory of Poland. The rocket spent 39 seconds in the area of Oserduv village. Having fixed it, two pairs of F-16s — two Polish and two American fighters — were lifted into the air.