As a result of the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense stationed Patriot systems in Poland. The troops are due to be withdrawn on Friday.
Warsaw/Berlin – The Bundeswehr will end its deployment in Poland on Friday and, after almost nine months, will withdraw the tank fire units used for air defense from the border region between Poland and Ukraine. “Our Patriot systems have contributed to protecting the population and critical infrastructure for around nine months,” praised the Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced the deployment of the troops in a press release,
There was one on November 15th last year Rocket hit the Polish village of Przewodow near the border with Ukraine and had killed two people. The government in Warsaw and its allies initially feared an expansion Ukraine war on NATO territory. In order to protect the population of the border region from further attacks, Warsaw expanded its air defense near Ukraine and also asked Germany for help.
Bundeswehr ends deployment in Poland – Pistorius praises cooperation with Warsaw
The In mid-January, the federal government decided to send three Bundeswehr Patriot fire units to Polandto support the NATO ally in air defense. The deployment of the troops was originally scheduled to last six months, but was extended until the end of 2023 at the request of the Polish government. The operation officially ends on Friday (November 10th). After a ceremonial final roll call, the soldiers will be gradually repatriated next week.
“I was particularly pleased with how friendly and appreciative our soldiers in Zamość were received by the Polish armed forces and the population,” Pistorius continued. “Poland and Germany, shoulder to shoulder in protecting NATO’s eastern flank – for me that is a very important sign of solidarity in the alliance as well as of friendship and solidarity between our nations.”
Patriot anti-aircraft system
The Patriot system was developed by the US defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon and has been in the Bundeswehr’s inventory since 1989. According to the force’s official information, the system has a range of 68 kilometers and can control up to 50 targets at the same time.
Consequence of the Ukraine war – Pistorius announces end to Bundeswehr deployment in Poland
“The soldiers of the Patriot troops have tirelessly pushed themselves to their limits over the last two years,” Pistorius praised the troops in a Defense Ministry press release. “The end of the mission in Poland now provides them with the urgently needed personnel and material regeneration opportunities,” the SPD minister continued.
At the end of September 2023, the government in Warsaw announced that the rocket that hit Poland came from Ukraine. This is what the investigations initiated after the incident revealed. The missile is believed to be Soviet-made and launched to deter a Russian attack. In a statement, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro regretted the lack of cooperation from the government in Kiev in clarifying the incident. (fd)
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