Russian missiles and drones are increasingly approaching Ukrainian targets from the west, using routes close to the Polish border. The tactic complicates the work of Ukrainian air defenses and forces Warsaw to remain on constant alert, Brig. Gen. Tomasz Drewniak, a pilot and former chief inspector of the Polish Air Force, told Interia.

One of the latest incidents occurred near Dorohusk. Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski, spokesman for the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, said that during a Russian attack one of the objects came within roughly three to four kilometers of Polish territory while moving at high speed.

Drewniak believes the episode was not connected with an intention to strike Poland.

He explained that Ukrainian air defenses are largely focused on threats coming from the east. Russia, in turn, has begun sending missiles and drones along more complex routes so that they approach their targets from the west. This can delay detection or make interception more difficult for air defense systems oriented toward the eastern direction.

Polish forces also have to take the speed of such threats into account. Drewniak noted that a jet-powered drone traveling at 600 kilometers per hour covers about 10 kilometers in a minute, leaving little time to react once it approaches the border.

The general said Poland begins preparing before an attack develops. The military receives satellite and intelligence data, as well as information from Ukraine and allied countries, before increasing surveillance of the eastern direction. Once an object is detected, aircraft are scrambled, ground-based systems are placed on alert and its trajectory is monitored to determine whether it is heading toward Poland or remaining in Ukrainian airspace.

Drewniak added that Polish aircraft move closer to the border and remain ready to intercept a threat. In many cases, however, an object comes within two to four kilometers of Poland before turning east and approaching Ukrainian targets from the west.

Even full military readiness cannot guarantee that every airborne threat will be stopped. Drewniak stressed that no air defense system is 100 percent effective. According to his assessment, even the best systems have an effectiveness rate of around 0.8, while mass attacks place far greater pressure on air defenses.

The general expects similar incidents to continue. In his view, both the Polish military and the public will have to become accustomed to more frequent threat warnings and the regular deployment of aircraft and other air defense assets.