Poland can shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine but avoids confrontation with Russia - military expert

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

"Today's attack had one component. One of the cruise missiles approached the border with Poland, then turned 180 degrees and began circling over western Ukraine. To repel this potential threat, Poland deployed its F-16 fighters. This means that the Polish leadership is now beginning to act more decisively in such cases, remembering when Russian cruise missiles were found on Polish territory. Then the previous military leadership had to somehow explain why the Polish air defense system did not work? Now, as we see, the new Polish military leadership does not want to be in such a role and already has a more active and tough position on preempting threats to Poland itself," noted Zgurets.

"Can Poland shoot down missiles over Ukrainian territory? Theoretically, I think it can. This is because the Patriot air defense systems located in Poland partially cover part of Ukraine's territory, and F-16 fighters can intercept these missiles. However, for now, the Polish leadership is opting for a more cautious strategy to avoid this political rather than military moment, whereby Poland starts shooting down Russian missiles and NATO approaches direct confrontation with Russia. I believe that the military-political leadership of NATO currently does not want to bring this to the forefront," emphasized Zgurets.

• On the morning of February 7, Russian troops launched cruise missiles and attack drones at Ukraine. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Lviv region residents heard the explosions.

• Ukrainian air defense downed 44 of 64 Russian air targets.

• During the massive attack on Ukraine, Russian cruise missiles constantly changed their course and maneuvered in the western regions.