Ukrainian pilot tracked Russian missile all the way to the border – Polish Defence Ministry
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk has stated that a Ukrainian pilot tracked the Russian Kh-101 missile that crashed on Polish territory on 30 July until the very last moment, but was unable to shoot it down and was forced to turn back 20 seconds from the border.
Source: a statement by Tomczyk to TVN 24, as reported by European Pravda
Quote: "The pilot who was tracking this latest missile, which he was unable to shoot down, turned back 20 seconds from the border [with Poland]."
Details: Tomczyk explained that the Ukrainian aircraft could not enter Polish airspace. There was also a risk of it being downed by a Polish F-16.
He noted that the Russians typically attack with 10 to 20 missiles, whereas on 30 July "there were around 70 missiles in total, 20 of which were heading towards Poland at 03:00".
"It is also worth adding that the vast majority of these missiles were shot down by Ukraine over Ukrainian territory, which clearly bore the full brunt of the strike," he said.
Asked whether the Russians launched the missile deliberately, Tomczyk replied that either scenario is possible. "We don't know, and if we do find out, it will be primarily intelligence information. We will likely have more answers in the coming weeks," he said.
Background:
- Further procedural steps and an expert examination of the missile debris are scheduled to take place in Poland on 31 July, with a Ukrainian expert set to join the investigation.
- Commenting on the Russian missile crash in Lublin Voivodeship, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there are no grounds to believe Poland was the target.
- Polish President Karol Nawrocki expects to receive a detailed government report on the Russian missile incident and will not be convening a meeting of the National Security Council.
Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.