Russian Mi-8 Helicopter Briefly Violates Polish Airspace, Poland Scrambles Fighters

A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter briefly violated Polish airspace on Wednesday, flying up to 300 meters (984 feet) into Polish territory near the town of Braniewo, Poland’s Operational Command said. The helicopter entered Polish airspace from Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast at 11:08 a.m. local time and remained there for 42 seconds, according to the statement.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Polish military radar systems detected the aircraft, prompting the scrambling of fighter jets. Ground-based air defense forces and other military assets were also placed on standby. “The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense,” the Operational Command said. Polish air defense crews remain on round-the-clock watch, the command added. Earlier incidents The incident is the latest in a series of Russian military aircraft and drone incursions into Polish airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Feb. 11, 2025, a Russian Su-24MR military aircraft entered Polish airspace over the Gulf of Gdańsk, penetrating about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) and remaining there for roughly 72 seconds. Russia later acknowledged the incident and attributed it to a navigation-system malfunction. On April 25, 2025, a Russian military helicopter also entered Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea’s territorial waters. Poland said the incident appeared to be an attempt to test its air-defense readiness. Other Topics of Interest NATO Keeps Article 5 Trigger ‘Deliberately Ambiguous’ The NATO chief said hybrid attacks may draw public or secret responses, while the alliance could retaliate by different means. The most serious incident came on Sept. 9-10, 2025, when 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine. Poland scrambled fighter jets and subsequently requested NATO consultations under Article 4. Most recently, Poland has repeatedly scrambled aircraft in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine and increased military activity near its borders, although not every such incident has involved a violation of Polish airspace. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.