NATO is considering various concepts of shooting down Russian missiles on the approach to the Allianceʼs borders, but there are nuances — this can happen with the consent of the Ukrainian side and taking into account the international consequences.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Andrzej Shejna stated this in an interview with RMF24.
Shejna noted that the flight of a Russian missile to the territory of Poland is "rather a deliberate act." According to him, the Russians knew that if the missile flew deeper into Poland, it would be shot down. He says that in this way the Russians planned to test the strength of the defense and the vigilance of the Polish military.
"It cannot be that the aggressor imposes some rules on us every time. He should get used to the fact that the side of NATO, the side of democratic countries, will begin to set a certain tone when it comes to resolving the conflict in Ukraine," Shejna emphasized.
At the same time, yesterday the Russian ambassador to Poland Serhiy Andreev ignored the call of the Polish Foreign Ministry and did not provide an explanation regarding the incident with the Russian missile. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysh called Andreevʼs behavior "disrespectful". Warsaw will not ignore these incidents and is preparing "next steps".
Andrzej Shejna added that a note of protest over the violation of Polish airspace by a Russian missile can be sent in another way — for example, through the Polish ambassador in Moscow Krzysztof Krajewski.
- On March 24, at 04:23, a Russian rocket flying at an altitude of 400 meters at a speed of 800 kmph flew 2 kilometers deep into the territory of Poland. The missile 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. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland said that shooting down a Russian missile would be risky, especially for the local population. And they added that if the missile had flown deep into Poland, they could have decided to shoot it down with F-16 planes.
- Against this background, the Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to explain the violation of Polish airspace by a Russian missile. Ambassador Serhii Andreev did not show up for the meeting. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland is now interested in whether the ambassador follows the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow and whether he is able to properly represent the interests of the Russian Federation. Andreev himself told the Russian media that he allegedly did not receive evidence to support the accusations.