“NATO Air Policing units have been placed on heightened alert in response to the dangerous behavior of a Russian military aircraft near a Polish Frontex aircraft over the Black Sea near Romania on Friday. NATO remains vigilant,” the NATO HQ announced.

Russian provocation: Polish gov’t spokesman on Black Sea incident

The Polish government spokesman has said that the incident in which a Polish Border Guard aircraft was approached over the Black Sea by a Russian…

see more

On Sunday morning, Border Guard spokeswoman Lieutenant Anna Michalska informed the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that an incident occurred on the Black Sea involving a Polish Border Guard aircraft participating in a Frontex mission.

A Russian fighter jet approached the Polish Turbolet L-410 aircraft three times, performing aggressive and dangerous maneuvers. During the incident, the Polish crew temporarily lost control of their aircraft and altitude.

“During the patrol flight of the Polish Border Guard’s Turbolet L-410 aircraft, flying the Frontex operation under Romanian command, within the operational area designated by Romania, a dangerous incident occurred,” stated the lieutenant.

“This incident took place within Romanian airspace. Secondly, it occurred within the framework of the EU Frontex mission, and actions were taken against a civilian aircraft by Russia.” emphasized government spokesman Piotr Müller

“Border Guard aircraft have the status of civilian aircraft in airspace, as they are unarmed and cannot pose a threat. Therefore, the action taken by the Russian Federation fighter jet should be regarded as a provocative act,” he added.

The govt spokesman noted there are standard procedures for reporting such incidents to allies in these situations, and that they have been carried out.

“We must be aware that the Russian Federation engages in such actions deliberately, and actions of a protest nature are necessary. However, they will not change Russia’s approach in this area. Within the North Atlantic Alliance, we are also discussing how to counteract such situations,” Müller pointed out.

“However, let us remember that Russia does not respect international law, and therefore, these types of provocations may occur. I would even say that Russia will attempt to provoke emotional reactions from the North Atlantic Alliance to have an argument that supposedly the North Atlantic Alliance has an aggressive character and undertakes offensive actions,” he assessed.

Polish aircraft patrols suspended until further notice

“Patrols by the Polish aircraft have been suspended until further notice. Other maritime patrols are operating according to schedule,” announced Frontex on its website. The decision was jointly made by the operation’s command and the Border Guard.