Poland scrambles jets on Christmas after detecting Russian reconnaissance aircraft near its airspace

Poland scrambled fighter jets Thursday after detecting a Russian reconnaissance aircraft operating near its airspace, authorities said.

Poland's Operational Command wrote on X that the aircraft was intercepted and escorted out after it was identified over international waters in the Baltic Sea.

The command said separate airspace incidents were also detected overnight near Poland's eastern border.

"At night, entries into Polish airspace of objects from the direction of Belarus were observed. After conducting detailed analyses, it was determined that these were most likely smuggling balloons, moving in accordance with the direction and speed of the wind," the command said.

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"The flight of all objects was continuously monitored by radar systems. To ensure safety, a portion of the airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship was temporarily closed to civilian traffic," it added.

No threat to Poland's airspace was detected, authorities said, and officials continued to monitor the situation.

The incident comes just days after Polish aircraft were scrambled again on Tuesday as Russia carried out widespread strikes against Ukraine.

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Polish authorities said the response included support from NATO allies, with Spanish aircraft assisting in air policing and Dutch forces providing air defense systems support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles two days before Christmas, targeting Kyiv's energy sector and civilian infrastructure.

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"Tragically, lives were lost. In the Kyiv region, a woman was killed by a Russian drone. One person was pronounced dead in the Khmelnytskyi region. In the Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child was killed after a Russian drone struck a residential building. My condolences to the families and loved ones," Zelenskyy said.

"This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities. An attack ahead of Christmas, when people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe. An attack carried out essentially in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war," he added. "Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia. Now is the time to respond. Russia must be pushed toward peace and guaranteed security."