(29 Dec 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++PLEASE IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH FOLLOWING, WHICH EXTENDS FIRST SOUNDBITE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Warsaw, Poland - 29 December 2023
1. Various of Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Chief of General Staff Wieslaw Kukula, and Operational Commander of the Armed Forces Maciej Klisz approaching the National Security Bureau
2. Car entering bureau
3. Plate reading (Polish) National Security Bureau
4. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Wieslaw Kukula, Chief of General Staff of Polish Armed Forces:
"Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded into Poland’s airspace. It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace. We have confirmation of this on radars and from allies."
5. Kukula talking to journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Wieslaw Kukula, Chief of General Staff of Polish Armed Forces:
"Indeed, the missile crossed Polish territory. I will say more, we directed forces, and aircraft that were to intercept it and shoot it down if necessary. Its short time inside Polish territory and the way it manoeuvred made it impossible to perform our task. That is why the missile managed to leave Polish territory."
7. Klisz talking to media
8. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Maciej Klisz, Operational Commander of the Armed Forces of the Polish Army:
"The rocket, the object stayed in Polish airspace for less than three minutes and left the airspace after those three minutes."
Reporter question: Far from the border?
"We have airspace violations for about forty kilometers."
9. Wide of Kosiniak-Kamysz talking to journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of Defence of Poland:
"Polish and allied systems worked. We and our allies are in constant contact. All elements related to Poland's security, the operation of the Polish army, and civilian control of the army worked as best as possible."
11. Various exteriors of Polish National Security Bureau
STORYLINE:
Poland’s defense forces said an unknown object entered the country’s airspace Friday morning from the direction of Ukraine and then vanished off radars, and that all indications pointed to it being a Russian missile.
“Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded into Poland’s airspace. It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace. We have confirmation of this on radars and from allies" in NATO, said General Wiesław Kukuła, chief of the general staff of Poland's armed forces.
Poland’s defense forces said the object penetrated about 40 kilometers (24 miles) into its airspace and left it after less than three minutes.
The defense forces said both its radar and NATO radar confirmed that the object left Polish airspace.
Kukula said steps were being taken to verify those findings.
There was no comment from Russian officials.
It was not immediately clear where the object disappeared from radar or in which direction it had been going.
Troops were mobilized to identify and find it. There were no immediate reports of any explosion or casualties.
The governor of Lublin province in eastern Poland, Krzysztof Komorski, told the Onet news portal that the object appeared on radars near the town of Hrubieszow, where a border crossing with Ukraine is located.
Komorski said he had no information to indicate it landed in Lublin province.
Poland's border with Ukraine is also the European Union and NATO border with Ukraine.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened a meeting with the defense minister, military commanders and heads of national security bodies, followed by a meeting of the National Security Bureau.
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