Russia’s latest overnight attack on Ukraine should dispel doubts in Poland about the need for continued military support for Kyiv, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said, pointing to strikes close to the Polish border.
“Anyone wondering whether Ukraine should be supported militarily should draw conclusions from this night,” Tomczyk wrote on X.
He said that while the war may still appear distant to many people, Russian attacks are taking place increasingly close to Polish territory.
During the latest attack, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish systems detected several Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drones operating over western Ukraine. According to him, one struck about one kilometre from the Polish border and another about five kilometres away.
Polish F-16 fighter jets, helicopters and a Saab airborne surveillance aircraft monitored the country’s airspace during the attack. No violation of Polish airspace was recorded, Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He added that Russian forces were changing their tactics and increasingly using jet-powered drones in small groups in an effort to exhaust Ukrainian air defences. Poland’s air defence remains on constant readiness, he said.
Tomczyk noted that Russia can launch hundreds of aerial weapons against Ukraine in a single night, including ballistic and cruise missiles, guided aerial bombs and drones, some of them directed towards western Ukraine.
“Every destroyed missile and every downed drone is a threat that does not fly further,” he said, adding that Polish aircraft are now operating regularly over the Lublin and Subcarpathian regions in response to Russian attacks nearby.
Tomczyk argued that Ukraine’s ability to resist Russia is directly connected to the security of Poland and the rest of Europe.
“There will be no lasting peace without a strong Ukraine and without the unity of countries that understand what the Russian threat means today,” he said.
