General Klisz: Poland failed to shoot down a Shahed that flew into its territory due to bad weather

On Monday, August 26, during a massive attack on Ukraine, a Russian Shahed crossed the border into Poland. Even though Warsaw had already sent its air force into the air when enemy missiles and drones were approaching western Ukraine, the Polish military did not shoot down the Russian UAV over its territory, citing weather conditions.

The incident, which occurred around seven in the morning Polish time, was reported by Polska Agencja Prasowa and Polskie Radio. "The Shahed flew into the territory of Poland near the Ukrainian city of Chervonohrad, Lviv region.

During a briefing to journalists, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said that the object was under "full control, under full supervision." However, it could not be shot down due to bad weather conditions.

This was stated, in particular, by the operational commander of the Armed Forces, General Maciej Klisz.

He said that the object crossed the Polish border at 6:43 a.m. Polish time near Chervonohrad. According to him, this place has been repeatedly attacked by the Russian occupiers because of the power plant located there. Klish emphasized that the object is probably still on the territory of Poland.

"The object disappeared after about 25 kilometers on the territory of Poland. Due to weather conditions, I was unable to give the command to shoot it down because of non-compliance with procedures, i.e. the so-called visual confirmation of the object's destruction," the Polish general said.

He explained that the current rules require that before deciding to shoot down a flying object, the pilot of a combat aircraft must visually identify, i.e. see with his own eyes, the object being shot down. This provision is intended to prevent the military from accidentally shooting down, for example, a civilian aircraft with which there is no radio contact.

General Klisch said that the object "was under full control, under full surveillance" and he was ready to shoot it down. He had been in contact with the Minister of National Defense, Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, General Wieslaw Kukula, about this.

But the "full control" did not last long, and after a while, the object disappeared from the radar without being shot down.

According to the general, the object was not confirmed by the allied powers, and by its characteristics, it was not a missile, but a UAV, which he calls an UAS (unidentified aerial object).

The search for the drone continues in the area of the Tyszowce commune, Lublin Voivodeship, Klisz said.

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