Baltic nation Poland has reported that a Russian Mi‑8 military helicopter inadvertently crossed into its airspace, hovering for 42 seconds over the border area north of Braniewo. The civilian‑border town lies only a few kilometres from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, making the incursion a sensitive flashpoint in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Polish defence officials said the aircraft entered at 11:08 local time, warping at an altitude of roughly 300 metres before spiralling back. They added that the incursion was tracked by radar and that fighter jets were scrambled in response while ground forces remained on high alert.
The Polish Army Operational Command warned that “the nature of the incident indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence.” Moscow has yet to comment on the report, but the incident adds to a growing list of hybrid threats that European NATO members say Russia is waging.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Moscow of planning drone and missile strikes against Polish and other NATO eastern flank countries. He described the series of hybrid attacks as a tactic to intimidate Europe and weaken its support for Ukraine, a message echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron and others.
The incursion comes amid other reported Russian aircraft and missile activity near Poland, including unmanned drone strikes on defence facilities across Europe. While Moscow denies direct involvement, experts note that the pattern points to an attempt to destabilise regional security while keeping the war in Ukraine going without full‑scale invasion.
