The new move shows President Putin doesn’t appear interested in ending his offensive anytime soon, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appeared to be waning, with the Russians abandoning much of their occupied territories and focusing on specific areas. .
In the past few days, there have been new bombings in the Kyiv region of the capital, and an officer of the Polish Air Force reported that the alarm situation in the country has worsened over the past week, with Russian fighter jets more frequently, according to the Air Force Magazine portal. Approaching the border reinforces this.
Su-35, Su-27 and MiG-29 jets take off from Belarus and fly into Polish airspace two to three times a day (and this is considered a wide frequency), leading to the activation of response actions, with the sending fighter jets from NATO forces to the region. Meanwhile, Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft monitor all activity.
As another Polish military officer, Brigadier General Ireneusz Nowak, said in an interview with the Polish Air Force, it is as if the Russians were testing the NATO response to their incursion simulations.
“We are currently putting a lot of effort into this air policing system,” Nowak said. “The problem for us is, with relatively small airports like the ones we have, and we have a small fleet of fighter jets, it’s exhausting for us.”
In addition to NATO air support, Poland still has US fighter jets patrolling the border.
The Brigadier commented that in the first weeks of the rotation of the patrols of Poland, NATO and the United States, under the coordination of NATO, many deficiencies were identified in the procedures, but Poland’s adoption of American techniques, tactics and procedures, together with training and joint education, facilitated the implementations.
“We react as needed and position ourselves as needed,” he added. “We show opponents that we are ready and we are not going to back down.”
Finally, Nowak stated: “Poland is seen as a threat to Russia and also as a country that supports a strong US presence here in Europe. For Poland, our special relationship with the US Air Force is very important. It’s vital for us.”
In addition to the situation on the border with Belarus, a few days earlier there were also reports that NATO fighter jets based at a Romanian air base intercepted Russian fighter jets that approached NATO territory at least four times in a 20-day period, according to a report released on April 8.
During the incidents, Russian fighter jets based in Crimea flew along the Black Sea towards NATO territory before pulling away, Air Force Magazine reported.
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