Poland Scrambles Jets on Christmas Amid Russian Reconnaissance Aircraft Near Its Airspace
On Christmas, Poland scrambled fighter jets after detecting a Russian reconnaissance aircraft near its airspace. The Polish jets intercepted and escorted the aircraft out over international waters in the Baltic Sea.
Overnight, there were additional airspace incidents near Poland's eastern border involving objects from the direction of Belarus. These were believed to be smuggling balloons moving with the wind and were closely monitored by radar.
For safety reasons, a portion of airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship was temporarily closed to civilian traffic. Despite these developments, Polish authorities stated there was no threat to their airspace and continued monitoring the situation.
NATO provided support during the incidents, with Spanish aircraft assisting in air policing and Dutch forces offering air defense systems support.
This incident follows a series of events tied to Russia's broader strikes in Ukraine. Polish jets were scrambled again on Tuesday amid the ongoing campaign.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that two days before Christmas, Russia launched more than 650 drones and over 30 missiles targeting Kyiv’s energy infrastructure and civilian facilities. Casualties were reported in Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions.
