Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile violated Polish airspace overnight.
“During the night, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed the Polish border, violating NATO airspace as part of Russia’s massive attack on Ukraine.
This is further clear evidence that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence is urgently needed and serves as a guarantee of protection for the entire Euro-Atlantic community.
In total, 74 missiles, many of them ballistic, and hundreds of drones were launched against Ukraine,” he wrote.
Earlier overnight, the Polish military scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to intercept an unidentified object that had entered the country’s airspace. However, the object disappeared from radar before visual contact could be established. A helicopter was dispatched to the suspected crash site. Later, a 10-metre crater and fragments of an unidentified object were discovered in an undeveloped area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, about 90 km from the border with Ukraine. Local residents reported hearing a powerful explosion during the night.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used 61 Kh-101 cruise missiles in today’s attack. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 54 of them, while two cruise missiles were reported to have reached their targets.
The Kh-101 is a Russian air-launched strategic cruise missile with a maximum range of 2,500-2,800 km. It entered service in 2013. The missile carries a warhead weighing about 400 kg and approximately 1.25 tonnes of fuel. It has a maximum speed of about 0.78 Mach and can be equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive or cluster warheads.
