Poland nearly shot down Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet near border

According to Nowak, a pair of Polish F-16 fighter jets was on air patrol that night. When a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, one of the aircraft was refueling, while the other was carrying out a mission near the border.

At around 4 a.m., neither the F-16 pilot nor ground command could identify an unknown object moving near the Polish border. Polish ground-based air defense systems also tracked it.

It turned out to be a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet. The Polish commander stressed that if the Ukrainian pilot had lost situational awareness and accidentally violated the airspace of the neighboring country, it could have resulted in "friendly fire."

Changes to aviation coordination rules

Following the incident, the Polish Operational Command sent an official letter to the leadership of the General Staff and the Ukrainian Air Force. It asked Ukraine to provide advance notice of all Ukrainian military aircraft movements near the border.

Previously, Ukraine’s Virazh air defense command-and-control system had provided Poland with information only about Russian missiles and drones.

After the July 30 incident, Ukraine began also sharing information about its own military aircraft operating in the border area.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said European NATO air forces could destroy half of Russia’s oil refineries without US assistance in the event of Russian aggression.

In addition, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said Russian strikes near Ukraine’s borders were a test for NATO. He added that, according to CIA intelligence, the Kremlin was considering scenarios for hybrid attacks against EU countries.