Poland briefly scrambled warplanes on Saturday in response to what the operational command of the Polish armed forces described as Russian military activity in Ukraine.
“Air Force assets are operating preemptively in Polish airspace,” the statement read.
The measures to “secure and protect Polish airspace” were called off two hours later . No violation of Poland’s airspace was reported.
“Military aviation operations in Polish airspace … have concluded, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to standard operational activities,” the statement said.
The NaTemat news portal reported that jet scrambles due to fighting in neighboring Ukraine cost Polish taxpayers about 77,000 zlotys ($20,000) per hour of a F-16 fighter flight, according to data from the National Defense Ministry.