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Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine, prime minister says Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine
(30 minutes later)
Donald Tusk says operation launched after ‘repeated violations of Polish airspace’ Donald Tusk says operation was launched after ‘repeated violations of Polish airspace’
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Poland said it scrambled its own and Nato air defences to shoot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, marking the first time in the war that Warsaw has engaged Russian assets in its airspace. Poland scrambled its own and Nato air defences to shoot down drones in its airspace on Wednesday after a Russian air attack on Ukraine in what the Polish army called an “act of aggression” as Warsaw got involved in the war in its neighbouring country for the first time.
“An operation is under way related to the repeated violation of Polish airspace,” prime minister Donald Tusk wrote on X early on Wednesday. “The military has used weaponry against the objects.” He said he was in “constant contact” with President Karol Nawrocki and the operational commander. The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said early on Thursday that operations were continuing and that he was in “constant contact” with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte. Tusk called for an emergency meeting of the council of ministers at 8am local time, a government spokesman said.
The announcement came after Poland closed airports and the army said it had launched an operation “to neutralise” objects that crossed over its border. “An operation is under way related to the repeated violation of Polish airspace,” Tusk posted early on Wednesday. “The military has used weaponry against the objects.”
Poland’s army called the violation of the nation’s airspace an “act of aggression“, while defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish aircraft had “used weapons against hostile objects,” adding that he was in touch with Nato’s command. Poland’s military command also said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack in western Ukraine.
Chopin Airport in Warsaw, the country’s largest, announced that its airspace was closed due to military actions, while guidance published by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed three others were also shut due to “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security.” Radars tracked more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were “neutralised”, the command said.
Among them were a smaller port in the eastern city of Lublin, and a key logistics and arms transfer hub in the south-eastern city of Rzeszów. “Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down. Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing.”
The first reports about possible violations of the Polish airspace emerged late on Tuesday night after Ukraine’s air force said that Russian drones had entered Poland’s airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamość. It subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app. Chopin airport in Warsaw, the country’s largest, announced its airspace was closed due to military action, while guidance published by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed three others were also shut due to “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security”. Among them were a smaller port in the eastern city of Lublin, and a key logistics and arms transfer hub in the south-eastern city of Rzeszów.
In the United States, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said repeated violations of Nato airspace by Russian drones were a sign that “Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.“ Most of Ukraine – including western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland – was under air raid alerts nearly all night, according to Ukraine’s air force.
“After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” he said on X. In the US, the Democratic senator Dick Durbin said the repeated violations were a sign that “Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations”.
The alleged incursion comes a day after Poland’s newly elected nationalist president Karol Nawrocki warned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to invade more countries after launching his war in Ukraine. “After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” Durbin posted online.
“We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions,” Nawrocki told reporters Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki. The incursions came a day after Poland’s newly elected nationalist president warned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to invade more countries after launching his war in Ukraine.
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, a few months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But there have been no reports of Polish or allied defence systems destroying drones. “We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions,” Nawrocki told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki.
The incident comes shortly before Russia and Belarus are set to begin military drills on Friday, which have raised security concerns in the region. After Donald Trump warmly welcomed Putin to the US for a summit in August, the US president said over the weekend that he was ready to move to a second phase of sanctioning Russia after months of fruitless talks about a peace deal.
On Tuesday, Poland said it would close its border with Belarus as a precautionary measure, with neighbouring Lithuania also declaring it would step up its border controls. It was his strongest indication yet that he may escalate pressure on Moscow or its oil buyers in response to the war in Ukraine.
Poland has been on alert for craft entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, a few months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But until Wednesday there had been no previous reports of Polish or allied defence systems destroying drones.
The incident comes shortly before Russia and Belarus on Friday begin military drills that have raised security concerns in the region.
On Tuesday, Poland said it would close its border with Belarus due to the “very aggressive” exercises, called Zapad, as well as the growing number of provocations from Russian and Belarus. Neighbouring Lithuania declared it would step up its border controls.
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