NATO considers shooting down Russian missiles near its borders

26 March, 2024 Launch of an anti-aircraft missile from the launcher of the Patriot PAC-3 air defense system In view of recent events, NATO is considering the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles as they approach the borders of the Alliance. Andrzej Szejna, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, made this statement.

He told the journalists that NATO is studying the issue of shooting down missiles flying toward the territory of the North Atlantic Alliance. "The Alliance is analyzing various concepts, including shooting down such missiles when they are very close to NATO borders. But this would have to be done with the consent of the Ukrainian side and with due regard to international consequences - then NATO missiles would hit Russian missiles outside their territory," Szejna said.

The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister also commented on the recent incident when a Russian missile violated Polish airspace while maneuvering to strike Ukrainian targets. The missile was traveling at a speed of almost 800 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 400 meters. It went deep for about 2 kilometers and then left the territory of the country.

Photo from open sources

Andrzej Szejna emphasized that the Russian missile's flight was intentional and had certain targets. "It was rather a deliberate act, Russia did not want to provoke anything. They knew that if the missile moved further into Poland, it would be shot down.

There would have been a response. It was planned to test the strength of the defense and vigilance of the Polish Armed Forces," the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland said. He emphasized that Russia should not impose its own rules on the Alliance.

"It has to get used to the fact that the NATO side, the democratic side, the EU side will start setting a certain tone when it comes to resolving the conflict in Ukraine," Szejna said. This is not the first incident of Russian cruise missiles entering Polish territory. Previously, on December 29, a Russian cruise missile flew about 40 kilometers in Polish airspace but turned back.

Polish forces were ready to shoot it down, but did not.

Also, in April 2023, a passer-by came across the remains of an unknown object in a forest near Bydgoszcz, Poland, which turned out to be a Kh-55 cruise missile.