Violations of non-combatant airspaces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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During the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the airspaces of non-combatant neighbouring countries, particularly Poland, Moldova, and Romania, have been violated on several occasions.

List of incidents

DateNon-combatant countryCommitted byNature of violation
March 10, 2022 Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia

Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary

Flag of Romania.svg Romania

Unknown 2022 Zagreb Tu-141 crash: An unmanned drone, a Tupolev Tu-141, crashed in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, after travelling through Croatian, Hungarian and Romanian airspace. [1]
March 14, 2022 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian Orlan-10 drone crashed in the Bistrița-Năsăud County. Initially thought to be a privately-owned commercial drone, it was soon identified to be an Orlan-10 of the Russian army. [2] [3]
November 15, 2022 Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 2022 missile explosion in Poland: A Ukrainian air-defence missile became out of control and crashed into a grain facility in the village of Przewodów, killing two people. [4]
February 10, 2023 Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian missile violated Moldovan airspace, resulting in the Russian ambassador to Moldova being summoned in protest. [5]
August 1, 2023 Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus Two Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace, with the Belarusian chargé d'affaires summoned by Poland in response. [6]
September 4–9, 2023 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian drone fell on Romanian territory during the attacks on the night of September 3 to 4. The claims were initially denied, [7] however, on September 5, drone fragments were identified near the village of Plauru on the Ukrainian border. [8] Other drone fragments were discovered on September 9. [9]
September 13, 2023 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Flag of Russia.svg Russia The crew of a Romanian Air Force helicopter identified fragments from a drone between the villages of Nufăru and Victoria, after a Russian attack on the Ukrainian port of Izmail. [10] According to the locals, the drone fell about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away from a military unit located in the area. [11]
September 30, 2023 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian drone was detected in Romanian airspace by the Romanian defence ministry during an overnight drone attack against Ukraine. [12]
December 14, 2023 Flag of Romania.svg Romania Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian drone violated Romanian airspace and crashed on Romanian territory, resulting in German and Romanian fighter jets being scrambled. [13]
December 29, 2023 Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Russia.svg Russia A Russian missile violated Polish airspace for less than three minutes, during which time the missile was tracked by Polish and allied radar systems. The Russian chargé d'affaires was summoned by Poland in response. [14] [15]
March 24, 2024 Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Russia.svg Russia March 2024 Polish airspace violation: A Russian cruise missile, aimed at Ukraine, violated Polish airspace for 39 seconds, near the village of Oserdów. In response, Polish and allied aircraft were activated. [16] [17]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span> Reported cross-border incidents in Western Russia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimea attacks (2022–present)</span> Crimean Peninsula during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure (2022–present)</span> Wave of Russian attacks during its invasion of Ukraine

During the autumn and winter of 2022–2023, Russia launched waves of missile and drone strikes against energy infrastructure as part of its invasion of Ukraine. The strikes targeted civilian areas beyond the battlefield, particularly critical power infrastructure, which is considered a war crime. By the end of 2023, Russian forces launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,900 Shahed drone strikes against Ukraine according to Ukrainian military officials.

On 15 November 2022, a missile struck Polish territory, in the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine, killing two people. The incident occurred during attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by Russia. It was the first incident of a foreign missile hitting NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Initially Ukraine accused Russia of striking Poland, while United States claimed that the missile was likely to have been an air defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. This was later confirmed in September 2023 by the Polish Prosecutor's Office, which stated that the explosion was caused by an out of control air-defence missile S-300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial warfare in the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

Aerial warfare in the Russian invasion of Ukraine began at dawn of 24 February 2022, with infantry divisions and armored and air support in Eastern Ukraine, and dozens of missile attacks across Ukraine. The first fighting took place in Luhansk Oblast near the village of Milove on the border with Russia at 3:40 am Kyiv time. The main infantry and tank attacks were launched in four spearhead incursions, creating a northern front launched towards Kyiv, a southern front originating in Crimea, a south-eastern front launched at the cities of Luhansk and Donbas, and an eastern front. Dozens of missile strikes across Ukraine also reached as far west as Lviv. Drones have also been a critical part of the invasion, particularly in regards to combined arms warfare. Drones have additionally been employed by Russia in striking Ukrainian critical infrastructure, and have been used by Ukraine to strike military infrastructure in Russian territory.

Events from the year 2023 in Moldova.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldova accepted Ukrainian refugees, opened a bank account for donations, and unofficially imposed sanctions on Russia.

This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 12 November 2022, following the conclusion of Ukraine's Kherson and Kharkiv counteroffensives, to 7 June 2023, the day before the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive began. Russia continued its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure while the Battle of Bakhmut escalated.

On 24 March 2024, Russia launched a major airstrike attack against Ukraine, involving at least 20 missiles. At 4:23 am, one missile launched against Ukraine crossed the Poland–Ukraine border near Oserdów, Lublin Voivodeship and remained in Polish airspace for 39 seconds, travelling 1–2 kilometres (0.62–1.24 mi) before crossing back into Ukraine. As a result of the airspace violation, the Polish Air Force and NATO air forces scrambled several F-16 Fighting Falcons.

References

  1. Press, Associated (2022-03-11). "Military drone from Ukraine war crashes into Croatian capital Zagreb". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. Sabău, Cristiana (14 March 2022). "Cazul "drona căzută la Tărpiu" va fi cercetat de Parchetul de pe lângă Curtea de Apel Cluj". TimpOnline (in Romanian).
  3. Stăniloiu, Cosmin (15 March 2022). "Aviația ucraineană spune că drona căzută lângă Bistrița e a armatei ruse. O alta, care a survolat Polonia, e fost doborâtă". Libertatea (in Romanian).
  4. "Polish experts confirm missile that hit grain facility was Ukrainian - media". Reuters. September 26, 2023.
  5. "Moldova briefly shuts airspace after report of balloon-like object". Reuters. February 15, 2023.
  6. "Poland says two Belarusian helicopters violated its airspace, adding to tensions". AP News. 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  7. "Bucharest Denies Ukrainian Claim That Russian Drone Detonated On Romanian Territory". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 4, 2023.
  8. "Nato pledges 'strong solidarity' with Romania over likely Russian drone debris". The Guardian. September 6, 2023.
  9. "Romania finds new suspected Russian drone fragments on its territory". Reuters. September 9, 2023.
  10. "Romania Finds Possible Drone Fragments After Russian Attack Hits Ukrainian Ports". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 13, 2023.
  11. Bejan, Gabriel; Cozmei, Victor (September 13, 2023). "Mărturiile localnicilor din Nufăru, Tulcea, despre drona care a explodat la ei în comună: "A căzut aproape de o unitate militară"". HotNews (in Romanian).
  12. "Romania: Possible airspace breach during Ukraine drone attack". Reuters. September 30, 2023.
  13. Newdick, Thomas (2023-12-14). "NATO Fighters Scrambled As Russian Drone Violates Romanian Airspace". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  14. "Poland says Russian rocket entered its airspace, summons diplomat". Reuters. December 30, 2023.
  15. "Poland says Russian missile briefly entered its airspace". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  16. Kostenko, Heather Chen, Josh Pennington, Sophie Jeong, Maria (2024-03-24). "Poland activates aircraft after Russian cruise missile aimed at Ukraine enters its airspace". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. "Russia violates Poland's airspace during cruise missile attack on western Ukraine". The Independent. 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-24.