Polish military forces nearly shot down a Ukrainian Air Force fighter jet near the border
During the Russian attack on Ukraine on July 30, the Polish military nearly shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet that was on a mission near the border.
According to Novak, a pair of Polish F-16 fighter jets were on patrol that night. At the moment a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, one of the planes was refueling, while the other was on a mission near the border.
Around 4:00 a.m., neither the F-16 pilot nor ground control was able to identify the unknown object moving near the Polish border. It was also being tracked by Polish ground-based air defense systems.
It turned out to be a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet. The Polish commander emphasized that if the Ukrainian pilot had let his guard down and accidentally violated the airspace of a neighboring country, “friendly fire” could have occurred.
Changes to Aviation Coordination Rules
Following this incident, the Polish Operational Command sent an official letter to the leadership of the General Staff and the Ukrainian Air Force. The letter requested that they provide advance notice of all movements of Ukrainian aircraft near the borders.
Previously, the Ukrainian “Virazh” air defense command and control system had provided the Polish side with data only on Russian missiles and drones.
Following the incident on July 30, Ukraine began providing information about its own military aircraft operating in the border zone as well.
This was stated by Irenaeusz Nowak, the operational commander of the Polish Armed Forces, according to Rzeczpospolita.
As a reminder, Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 over the Baltic Sea.
Tusk responded to whether Poland would block Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Poland is once again not involved in key negotiations regarding Ukraine – TVP World.
