March 2024 Polish airspace violation

Incident in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 24 March 2024, Russia launched a major airstrike attack against Ukraine. The attack included at least 20 cruise missiles. At 4:23 a.m., one of the missiles crossed the Poland–Ukraine border near Oserdów, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. The missile crossed about 1–2 kilometres (0.62–1.24 mi) of Polish airspace for 39-seconds before crossing back into Ukrainian airspace.[1][2][3] Due to the airspace violation, the Polish Air Force and other NATO air forces launched several F-16 Fighting Falcons. These had the set mission to defend NATO airspace from Russian missiles.[1][4]

March 2024 Polish airspace violation
Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Map
Date24 March 2024
Time4:23 a.m.
LocationOserdów, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland
Participants
DeathsNone

Reaction

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Following the attack, the Polish government demanded the Russian government explain their reasons for the airspace violation.[1][5][6]

The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabrielius Landsbergis reacted with a "clear message". His message called for any missiles or drones over NATO territory would be shot down.[7]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gera, Vanessa; Hicks, Tony (24 March 2024). "Poland demands explanation from Russia after a missile enters its airspace during attack on Ukraine" (News article). AP News. Warsaw, Poland & Kyiv, Ukraine: Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  2. Chen, Heather; Pennington, Josh; Jeong, Sophie; Kostenko, Maria; Racz, Oleg (24 March 2024). "Poland demands explanation after accusing Russia of violating its airspace" (News article). Atlanta, United States: CNN. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  3. Rai, Arpan (24 March 2024). "Russia violates Poland's airspace during cruise missile attack on western Ukraine" (News article). Independent. London, United Kingdom: The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  4. "Russia violates Poland's air space in attack on Ukraine, Poland's armed forces say". Reuters. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  5. "Poland demands explanation from Russia after a missile enters its airspace during attack on Ukraine". ABC News. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  6. https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/polonia-pide-explicaciones-a-rusia-por-misiles-que-invadieron-su-espacio-aereo/7540490.html
  7. "NATO must send clear message that Russian missiles will be taken down - Landsbergis - Delfi EN". Delfi. 2024-03-25. Retrieved 2024-03-26.