“The alliance cannot afford indifference to such situations,” said the politician.
Last Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighters broke into the Estonian airspace above the island of Vaindloo on the Gulf of Finland, about 90 km northeast of Tallinn. The planes spent about 12 minutes in the Estonian area, which allowed them to fly a significant part of the area on the bay. The abandonment of the Estonian space took place only at the height of the island of Hiuma in the Baltic Sea.
This is not the first case of NATO airspace by Russia, but as Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized. Such long -term invasion qualifies this incident as a particularly glaring violation of the sovereignty of Estonia, a member of the North Atlantic Pact.
Read also: “Insolence without precedent”. Russia is testing the borders of Estonia
Ok 40 violations
The deputy prime minister pointed out that from the beginning of the recent tensions Russian aircraft violated the Estonian airspace about 40 times. Such actions – in his opinion – are a deliberate element of Russian policy of destabilization.
– This case is very brutal, it lasted up to 12 minutes. You can see how Russia increases the intensity of the provocation-said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Also other politicians, including the Czech president, Petr Pavel, appealed for more firm NATO's actions towards Russian provocations, suggesting that the answer should even be shot down enemy units if further violations of the aircraft of the Alliance countries.
At a press conference before the Provincial Congress of PSL Kosiniak-Kamysz also reminded other actions of Russia that arouse anxiety in the region. He reminded the Russian forces a violation of the space above the drilling platform belonging to Orlen and accused the Russian fleet of destroying the submotial cables in the Baltic.
– These provocations will repeat themselves. Therefore, our answer must be the construction of strength and immunity, both military and in the scope of protection against disinformation – The deputy prime minister emphasized, adding that Russia does not admit such activities, which consistently fits into their information strategy.
PSL mediator in security matters?
The head of the Ministry of National Defense also drew attention to strengthening cooperation within NATO in the context of the protection of the alliance's eastern flank. He reminded about the initiative of the Eastern Sentry, which aims to support the defense of the eastern provinces of Poland, including Podkarpacie. Kosiniak-Kamysz mentioned involved allied countries, such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, as well as new reports from Denmark and Sweden.
“Of course, the United States is also in this process,” he added.
The deputy prime minister also mentioned cooperation with Great Britain, emphasizing the participation of British troops and helicopters in patrolling Poland's airspace. He admitted that the decisions to use specific military formations are the responsibility of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces.
In the margins of his speech in Boguchwale, Kosiniak-Kamysz also referred to the government and president's relations in the field of security. He emphasized the role of PSL as a mediator between these institutions and appealed to maintain good cooperation.
– Safety requires cooperation above political divisions. We, as a government, are ready for such actions – noted the head of the Ministry of National Defense, at the same time expressing satisfaction with the current results of cooperation between the president and the government in this area.
