Poland accuses Russian military helicopter of violating its airspace

Image source, LightRocket via Getty Images Image caption, Poland said a Russian military Mi-8 helicopter - like the one seen in this archive photo - stayed in Polish airspace for 42 seconds

Poland has said a Russian military helicopter briefly violated its airspace, forcing the Nato member to scramble fighter jets while ground forces remained on alert.

Its military said the Mi-8 aircraft had crossed from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Wednesday morning, penetrating Polish airspace to a depth of about 300 metres (328 yards) and staying for 42 seconds north of Braniewo.

It said "the nature of the incident indicates that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence". Moscow did not comment immediately.

Poland and other European Nato members have recently said Russia may be preparing attacks to test their commitment to supporting Ukraine - Moscow denies this.