Polish general warns near-miss with Ukrainian jet and calls for tighter air-defence coordination

General Polko told TVN24 that during one of the latest Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, a Polish fighter came close to downing a Ukrainian MiG because the two air forces were not adequately informed about each other's operations. He argued that Poland must enhance real-time communication and integrate with Ukrainian command and control, possibly by acquiring non-frontline NATO systems. Polko also commented on a summit called by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, calling it largely ineffective but acknowledging it was an improvement over past responses, such as the delayed notice of a missile that fell near Bydgoszcz.

He warned that Russian attacks could reach Polish territory and urged that civil alerts be accompanied by clear threat descriptions. Recent RCB alerts have already been issued to residents of the Lublin and Subcarpathian regions.