In the early hours of June 9, 2025, the Polish Armed Forces launched a coordinated response involving both Polish and allied aircraft following an intense wave of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian territory.
According to an official statement from the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, all available assets under its control were placed on high alert. This included the launch of Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) fighters and the activation of ground-based air defense and radar systems.
The actions were described as precautionary and aimed at ensuring the security of Polish airspace and maintaining situational awareness in the vicinity of the country’s eastern borders. No violations of Polish airspace have been reported.
“These are preventive measures, taken to safeguard national airspace and monitor developments close to the borders of the Republic of Poland,” the statement noted.
NATO has significantly reinforced its air presence along the alliance’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a frontline member, Poland regularly hosts allied aircraft on rotational deployments as part of NATO’s regional air policing and deterrence efforts.
Since February 2022, the alliance has ramped up its vigilance activities, which include an expanded presence of allied fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, and even aircraft carriers operating in the Baltic region.
Polish airspace under pressure
The heightened readiness comes amid lingering security concerns over past missile incidents in Poland. In late April 2023, a civilian discovered the remains of a missile in a forest near Zamość, close to Bydgoszcz in northern Poland, approximately 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The Polish Air Force Institute of Technology later identified the debris as a Russian Kh-55 cruise missile, believed to have been launched during a December 2022 air raid from Belarus.
Another incident occurred on November 15, 2022, when a missile struck a grain silo in the village of Przewodów, just seven kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The explosion killed two people. It was later determined that the missile was most likely an S-300 air defense interceptor launched by Ukrainian forces during a heavy Russian bombardment.
