Kremlin slams Sikorski’s statement on possible NATO victory against Russia
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova (Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova sharply reacted to a statement by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski that NATO would defeat Russia in the air, as it has superiority in air forces, according to Russian state media.
Zakharova called the Polish minister's words "brain-washing Russophobia," claiming that he allegedly spoke about a possible quick Polish victory over Russia.
Meanwhile, Sikorski was actually speaking not about a confrontation between Russia and Poland, but about a potential conflict between Russia and NATO.
In particular, the Polish minister, assessing the balance of forces, emphasized the Alliance's air superiority.
Sikorski stated that if Russia attacked them and they acted without restrictions, he thought they would defeat Russia quite quickly. He added that they had an undeniable advantage over Russia in aviation and asked the general to correct him if he was wrong, noting that they had something like 2,500 aircraft. He concluded that this was an undeniable advantage and that it remained undeniable anyway.
Thus, the words "them" in the context of the statement referred to NATO, not exclusively Poland.
At the same time, Poland itself has a significantly smaller combat aircraft fleet. According to open data, the country currently has about 75–80 combat aircraft, if we count F-16s, FA-50s, remaining MiG-29s, and the first F-35s.
For comparison, Russia's aircraft fleet numbers about 300 combat aircraft of various modifications.
Thus, the claim about 2,500 aircraft did not refer to the Polish Air Force. It concerned the combined capabilities of NATO, with Sikorski separately noting that even without US participation, the Alliance has air superiority.
Zakharova's statement appeared after Russian propaganda outlets disseminated the Polish minister's words in a context that changed their original meaning.
Recall that the day before, a Russian jet drone attacked the locomotive of a civilian train at the Yagodyn railway station in the Volyn region. The station is located near the border with Poland.
Warsaw reacted sharply to this, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting and stated a possible rapid Russian invasion of his country.
