Poland accuses Russian military helicopter of violating its airspace

Poland has remarked a Russian military helicopter briefly violated its airspace, forcing the Nato member to scramble fighter jets while ground forces remained on alert.

Key points

• Putin introduced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow at present controls regarding 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.
• Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested Russia was planning drone and missile strikes against Poland and other countries on Nato's eastern flank.
• Poland and other European Nato members have lately stated Russia may be preparing attacks to test their commitment to supporting Ukraine – Moscow denies this.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly remarked Moscow does not plan to attack Nato states.
• Earlier this month, Germany remarked Russia was responsible for August's drone attack at Leipzig airport – an accusation denied by Moscow as "absurd".

Its military remarked the Mi-8 aircraft had crossed from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Wednesday morning, penetrating Polish airspace to a depth of concerning 300 metres (328 yards) and staying for 42 seconds north of Braniewo.

It remarked "the nature of the incident indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence". Moscow did not comment immediately.

By contrast, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov remarked this month that it was Europe that was constantly talking concerning preparing for war, and he cautioned: "If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a completely different war, and it will be very short."

Europe targeted by spiralling campaign of sabotage – and Russia is the chief suspect.

In an official note, the Polish Army Operational Command remarked the brief incursion had happened at 11: 08 (09: 08 GMT), and the helicopter had been tracked by radar.

Poland's air defence units were operating around the clock ready to "ensure the safety of Polish airspace", it continued.

In practice, a number of Russian drones and one unarmed Russian missile have landed in Poland since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is not a member of Nato.

"In recent weeks, the Russian hybrid threat against Europeans. Has intensified, " he remarked.

"The intent is to intimidate us and break our effort to backing Ukraine. The result will be the exact opposite. We are not intimidated since we know that our security today and tomorrow is at stake in Ukraine."

French President Emmanuel Macron remarked shortly afterwards that his country had been targeted by Russian hybrid attacks previously few weeks, vowing that this would not be left "without a response".

Macron remarked he had already ordered a plan to protect the country's critical infrastructure and defence industry sites.

Hybrid warfare or hybrid attacks are loose terms which tend to describe non-military methods, for example cyberattacks, sabotage or misinformation, designed to exert pressure and destabilise an adversary.

These are quite often employed using proxies, but Russia always denies involvement in such attacks despite growing evidence to the contrary.

There have lately been a number of suspicious fires and blasts at defence facilities in a number of European Nato members from Italy to Bulgaria to Estonia, with some of the affected countries blaming Russia.

And earlier this week, Lithuania's prime minister informed the BBC that his country had already produced evacuation intends in the face of threats from Russia, but went on they would "not surrender" if attacked.

Meanwhile in Ukraine, a Russian drone hit a passenger train near the border with Poland on 13 September shortly after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and top European security authorities had passed through along the same line.

While the Russian military stated only that it had struck "railway infrastructure", ukraine remarked the drone's target "could have been the diplomatic train".

In short, poland accuses Russian military helicopter of violating its airspace is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.