Will Poland shoot down missiles over Ukraine? Coming days will be decisive
Polish Patriots could be used to intercept Russian missiles (wojsko-polskie.pl)
Ukraine and Poland have signed a security agreement. Among other things, it stipulates that Poland will be able to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory.
The head of the Center for Military and Legal Studies, Oleksandr Musiienko, commented to RBC-Ukraine on how this could be implemented and why much will be determined soon.
The agreement was signed on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington. I think it is no coincidence that it was signed to discuss, within the framework of the summit, ways to improve Ukraine's air defense system.
The clause on the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles fits into a comprehensive set of measures aimed at pushing individual countries to take concrete actions and coordinate them with NATO. The goal is for NATO to see that at least there is a coordinated position between Ukraine and Poland. I hope this will speed up the process.
Another question is how this will be implemented and in what form.
It seems to me that Polish F-16s could be an effective tool. They can operate directly over our territory. Ukraine can allow such flights, and within this framework, F-16s could patrol, for example, certain areas of the Lviv and Volyn regions, etc., during massive Russian attacks.
Another method is the deployment of Polish air defense systems and the creation of a no-fly zone extending 50-100 km into Ukrainian territory, depending on the systems used. There are only two ways; I do not see any others.
Why is NATO's approval necessary? From the very beginning, Poland chose this format of active consultations. I want to remind you that back in 2022, Warsaw sought clarification on how to act during Russian attacks on Ukraine, particularly when missiles violate Polish airspace. They want to discuss all possibilities to avoid negative feedback from Brussels later.
I think the Ukraine-Poland initiative will be actively discussed in the coming days. The next few days will be decisive in determining how realistic the interception of Russian missiles by Polish air defense systems is. I hope it is realistic and feasible in the near future.
Right now, there is another reason for those who say that Putin's red lines should not be crossed. We saw how Russia committed a horrific crime by striking Okhmatdyt, a residential building, and another medical center in Kyiv on July 8. This provides a strong basis for considering the idea of shooting down missiles.
Oleksandr Musiienko, for RBC-Ukraine
