The country’s Armed Forces say that after the missile is shot down, “its fragments could fall on our territory.”

The Polish command knew that the Russian missile, which flew through the Lublin region in the morning, would return to Ukraine. Firing a missile would be risky. This was stated by the representative of the Operational Command of the country’s Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, RMF FM reports.

“The air defense of Ukraine has learned that most Russian missiles come from the East or North, and the defenders are less likely to expect an attack from the West. Therefore, the Russian Federation deliberately maneuvers its missiles so that they circle and hit targets in Ukraine from the West,” the speaker noted.

He also explained that the decision not to shoot down the missile was made by the operational commander of the Armed Forces.

“The decision was made based on information from our radar systems. An assessment of the trajectory, speed and altitude of the missile showed that it would leave our airspace,” Gorishevsky said.

According to him, an attempt to shoot down the missile would involve a risk to local residents.

“The missile weighs more than 2 tons, of which 400 kilograms is the combat load. After the missile is shot down, its fragments could fall on our territory. The remains of the effector that was used to shoot down the missile itself would also fall here,” the Polish military officer specified.

He emphasized that if the missile were heading deep into Poland, the decision to shoot it down could be made with the help of F-16 aircraft on duty.

“It is the operational commander of the Armed Forces who assesses the situation and is authorized to make such a decision. On the other hand, a fighter pilot, even having received permission to shoot down such a missile, may not do so if he realizes that its debris could fall on a hospital or school,” he added speaker.

A Russian missile flew into Poland – what is known

On March 24, a Russian missile flew into Poland. Subsequently, Poland announced its intention to strengthen the presence of its troops in the east – in particular, in the border areas with Belarus, Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine.

Poland’s Defense Ministry said it would be a “permanent presence” and that the measures were aimed at deterring “potential enemy attacks and attacks.”

also clarified that the Russian missile flew into Poland near the village of Osierdów, Lublin Voivodeship, for 39 seconds.