Poland says it downed drones in its airspace during Russian attacks on Ukraine

Poland said Wednesday it had downed drones that entered its airspace during Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X that he had “received a report from the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces Branches regarding the downing of drones that intruded into our airspace and could have posed a threat. The operation is ongoing.” He added that he informed NATO’s Secretary General and that they were “in constant contact.”

Poland’s military said Wednesday it had scrambled aircraft alongside allies to shoot down “hostile objects” violating its airspace, a first for a NATO country during the war.

“Aircraft have used weapons against hostile objects,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on social media.

The military said on X that, “As a result of attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects. This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”

It said efforts were “underway to search for and locate the possible crash sites of these objects” and “the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the current situation, and Polish and allied forces and assets remain fully prepared for further actions.”

Polish police said officers discovered a damaged drone in the eastern Polish village of Czosnowka, according to the Reuters news agency.

Hours later, Poland’s military said on X that the operations had concluded but the search for downed drones was continuing. “We urge that in the event of observing an unknown object or its debris, do not approach, touch, or move it. Such elements may pose a threat and contain hazardous materials. They must be thoroughly inspected by the appropriate services,” the military cautioned.

The Polish government announced it would hold an “extraordinary” meeting Wednesday morning.

The incursion came as Russia unleashed a barrage of strikes across Ukraine, including in the western city of Lviv, around 50 miles from the Polish border.

Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of NATO members — including Poland — several times during Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war, but a NATO country has never tried to shoot them down.

A cornerstone of the Western military alliance is the principle that an attack on any member is deemed an attack on all.

During the operation, authorities closed the airspace over part of the country, according to a statement from Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport, where flights were halted. That airspace was later reopened, Reuters said.

Warnings of further Russian aggression

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that eight Russian drones were “aimed toward” Poland in an overnight barrage that forced Warsaw to scramble air defenses. “It was not just one Shahed that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed toward Poland,” Zelensky said, referring to Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow, adding that the incident represented “An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe.”  

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, warned on X that Russian President Vladimir Putin “just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West. The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets. A weak response now will provoke Russia even more — and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe.”

Poland’s newly-elected nationalist President Karol Nawrocki issued a warning along the same lines Tuesday, saying at a news conference in Helsinki that, “We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions. We believe that Vladimir Putin is ready to also invade other countries.”

And the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, posted on X Wednesday that “we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental. The EU stands in full solidarity with Poland. Russia’s war is escalating, not ending.”

NATO-member Poland, a major supporter of Ukraine, hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees and is a key transit point for Western humanitarian and military aid to the war-torn country.

Last month, Warsaw said a Russian military drone flew into its airspace and exploded in farmland in eastern Poland and depicted the incident as a “provocation.” In 2023, Poland said a Russian missile had crossed into its airspace to strike Ukraine. And in November 2022, two civilians were killed when a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile fell on a village near the border.