Russian helicopter briefly crosses into Polish airspace

A Russian military Mi-8 helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace Wednesday morning, flying north of the town of Braniewo near the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Poland’s Operational Command said. The aircraft penetrated Polish territory to a depth of about 300 meters and remained inside Polish airspace for 42 seconds before returning to Kaliningrad airspace.

Polish radar systems tracked the helicopter throughout the incident. The Polish Armed Forces scrambled fighter jets in response, and ground-based air defense units were placed on alert.

“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense,” Poland’s Operational Command said in a statement posted to X.

Poland’s air defense crews maintain round-the-clock observation and remain on continuous alert to secure Polish airspace, the command added.

Wednesday’s incursion is the latest in a string of Russian airspace violations along NATO’s eastern flank over the past year. In September 2025, roughly two dozen Russian-launched drones entered Polish airspace in a single night, prompting Poland and allied aircraft from Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands to shoot several of them down, the first time NATO forces had engaged enemy aircraft inside allied airspace since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO founding treaty in response, and the alliance subsequently launched a new air defense mission along its eastern flank called Eastern Sentry.

Poland has recorded further incidents since then, including a suspected Russian cruise missile that crashed roughly 50 km (31 miles) from the city of Lublin in late July 2026, and a reconnaissance drone found near Bartoszyce, close to the Kaliningrad border, in May. Estonia and Romania have reported separate airspace violations by Russian jets and drones over the same period.

Poland’s Operational Command has not said whether the Mi-8 will prompt any further diplomatic or military response beyond the fighter scramble and heightened alert status. Russia has not issued a public statement on the incident.