Polish official says NATO considering shooting down Russian missiles that approach its borders
NATO is reportedly considering the option of shooting down Russian missiles if they stray too close to its borders, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said to the Polish media outlet RMF24 on March 26, The Kyiv Independent reports.
Poland was forced to scramble its fighter jets to protect its airspace during Russia's drone and missile attack against Ukraine on March 24, when a Russian cruise missile entered Poland's airspace for 39 seconds.
Russia's ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreyev, was summoned by Poland's Foreign Ministry in response to the incident, but he rejected the request.
Szejna said that "(Russia) knew that if the missile moved further into Poland, it would be shot down. There would be a counterattack."
"Various concepts are being analyzed within NATO, including for such missiles to be shot down when they are very close to the NATO border," he added.
Such a proposal would have to be approved by the Ukrainian side, Szejna said.
Russian missiles have previously entered Polish airspace during attacks on Ukraine. On Dec. 29, 2023, a missile entered Polish airspace, putting the country's defenses on high alert.
In another incident on Nov. 15, 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during a Russian mass strike, killing two civilians. Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian anti-air projectile launched to intercept the Russian attack.
