Russian military helicopter entered Polish airspace briefly, Polish army says

​A Russian military Mi-8 helicopter made a brief incursion ‌into NATO member Poland's airspace from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the Polish Army Operational Command said ‌on Wednesday.

The helicopter spent 42 seconds ‌in Polish airspace and entered to a maximum depth of about 300 metres (328 yards), it said on ⁠X. "Fighter ​aircraft ⁠were scrambled, and ground-based forces and assets remained on ⁠standby. The nature of the incident indicates that ​Russia is once again testing the readiness ⁠of our air defense," it said.

Poland is on ⁠heightened ​alert for any incursion into its airspace connected with Russia's war in Ukraine. The ⁠Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately ⁠reply ⁠to a Reuters request for comment on the incident.