Poland said on Tuesday that it had sent four F-16 fighter jets to its eastern border to protect its airspace following a volley of Russian missile attacks on neighbouring Ukraine.
In a statement, the Polish army stated, “To ensure the safety of Polish airspace, two pairs of F-16 fighters and an allied air tanker were put into action”.
Russia launched a missile barrage on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the northern city of Kharkiv on Tuesday morning.
As the Russian invasion approaches its second anniversary, Poland, a NATO and EU member, is a firm ally of Ukraine.
Poland reported a Russian missile crossed through its airspace during the latest wave of deadly attacks on Ukraine on Friday.
According to the Polish army, radar data showed that the missile was in Polish airspace for three minutes.
A Ukrainian air defence missile fell in the Polish village of Przewodow near the border in November 2022, killing two civilians.
During another intense Russian bombing of Ukraine, an explosion happened at a grain storage site near a school approximately six kilometres (four miles) from the border.
Initially, it was unclear whether the missile was Russian, increasing fears that NATO would become directly involved in the war because member Poland is covered by the alliance’s collective defence agreement.
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