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Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine
(about 5 hours later)
Donald Tusk says operation was launched after ‘repeated violations of Polish airspace’ Donald Tusk says Poland closer to military conflict ‘than at any time since second world war’
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Poland scrambled its own and Nato air defences to shoot down several drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday morning, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine spread to Nato territory in the most significant way since the full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the country is closer to military conflict “than at any time since the second world war” as Warsaw and Nato allies weighed a response to an incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace.
Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, convened an emergency meeting of the council of ministers at 8am local time, and said he was in “constant contact” with Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte. Poland scrambled its own and Nato air defences, shooting down at least three drones, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine spread to Nato territory early on Wednesday in the most significant way since the full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
“We are dealing with a large-scale provocation … We are ready to repel such provocations. The situation is serious, and no one doubts that we must prepare for various scenarios,” said Tusk on Wednesday morning. There had been at least 19 violations of Polish airspace, said Tusk, and some of them had entered Poland from Belarusian territory. Four Polish airports, including the two that serve Warsaw, were closed to traffic during the incursion. The prime minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, said F-35 jets from his country took part in the mission to intercept the drones. At least three drones were shot down.
Tusk said Poland had successfully repelled the attack and insisted that “there is no reason to panic”, but added that military conflict was “closer than at any time since the second world war”. Tusk, who convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning, said: “We are dealing with a large-scale provocation … We are ready to repel such provocations. The situation is serious and no one doubts that we must prepare for various scenarios.”
He said Poland would invoke Nato’s article 4, requesting formal consultations with the alliance. Article 4 has been invoked only seven times since Nato was created in 1949, with the last time in 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The White House said Donald Trump would speak with Poland’s newly elected nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, while the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, reiterated backing for Warsaw amid concerns in Europe over how the Trump administration might respond to a Russian attack on Nato. “We stand by our Nato allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of Nato territory,” wrote Whitaker in a post on X.
Poland’s military command said more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were “neutralised” in the early hours of Wednesday. “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,” it added. The British defence secretary, John Healey, said he had asked the UK armed forces to look at “options to bolster Nato’s air defence over Poland”. He was speaking after an E5 meeting of ministers from France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Poland, which his Polish counterpart had left early to return home due to the drone incursion.
Tusk said there had been at least 19 violations of Polish airspace and some of them had entered Poland from Belarusian territory. At least three drones were shot down. The prime minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, said F-35 jets from his country took part in the mission to intercept the drones. Healey said: “Today, as five nations, we say to President Putin: your aggression only serves to strengthen the unity between our Nato nations; your aggression only serves to strengthen our determination to stand with Ukraine.”
Polish media said that one of the drones had struck a residential building in eastern Poland; however there were no immediate reports of casualties from the attack.
Russia launches almost nightly attacks on Ukraine using large, kamikaze drones based on an Iranian design and known informally as “Shaheds”. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Wednesday morning that 415 drones and 40 missiles had been used in the overnight attack, most targeting western parts of the country. One person was killed in Zhytomyr region.Russia launches almost nightly attacks on Ukraine using large, kamikaze drones based on an Iranian design and known informally as “Shaheds”. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Wednesday morning that 415 drones and 40 missiles had been used in the overnight attack, most targeting western parts of the country. One person was killed in Zhytomyr region.
Zelenskyy said the number of drones that entered Polish airspace meant it could not have been an accident, and called on Nato countries to launch a strong response. Zelenskyy urged Nato countries to launch a strong response to the incursion into Poland. “Moscow is always testing the limits of the possible, and if it does not meet a strong reaction, moves to a new level of escalation,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media. “Today was another escalatory step … Not one ‘Shahed’, which could have been called an accident, but at least eight attack drones which targeted Poland.”
“Moscow is always testing the limits of the possible, and if it does not meet a strong reaction, moves to a new level of escalation,” wrote Zelenskyy in a post on social media. “Today was another escalatory step … Not one ‘Shahed’, which could have been called an accident, but at least eight attack drones which targeted Poland.” Russia’s defence ministry released a statement saying Moscow had “no intentions to engage any targets on the territory of Poland”, without confirming or denying that its drones had entered Polish airspace. “We are ready to hold consultations on this subject with the Polish defence ministry,” it added.
Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, called on neighbouring countries to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukrainian airspace, especially in the western regions of the country close to the border with Nato nations. “Ukraine has suggested such step for a long time. It needs to be taken for the sake of collective security,” he said. Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Poland, Andrei Ordash, called the accusations against Moscow groundless, saying “no evidence has been presented proving these drones are of Russian origin”.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, said Warsaw had “no doubt” that it was dealing with a deliberate attack. “When one or two drones does it, it is possible that it was a technical malfunction, but … in this case there were 19 breaches, and it simply defies imagination that that could be accidental,” he said.
Other Polish and European officials agreed, saying the number of drones that entered Polish airspace made it unlikely to be an accident. One of the drones damaged a building on the ground in eastern Poland but there were no reports of casualties.
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Tusk insisted there was “no reason to panic”, but said Poland had invoked Nato’s article 4, requesting formal consultations with the alliance. Article 4 has been invoked only seven times since Nato was created in 1949, with the last time in 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, called on neighbouring countries to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukrainian airspace, especially in the western regions of the country close to the border with Nato nations. “Ukraine has suggested such a step for a long time. It needs to be taken for the sake of collective security,” he said.
Up to now Ukraine’s neighbours have declined to do so, fearing the escalatory potential of directly engaging with Russian missiles and drones.Up to now Ukraine’s neighbours have declined to do so, fearing the escalatory potential of directly engaging with Russian missiles and drones.
Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s defence commissioner, said the bloc must develop a “drone wall” along its eastern flank to prevent such attacks. “We shall work together with member states, frontier countries and Ukraine. Russia will be stopped,” he wrote on X. Russia and Belarus will hold a big military drill on Friday known as Zapad, which has raised security concerns in the region and led to Poland closing all its land borders with Belarus.
On Friday, Russia and Belarus will hold a major military drill known as Zapad, which has raised security concerns in the region and led to Poland closing all its land borders with Belarus. Trump came into office promising a swift end to the war, but has proved unable to persuade Putin to agree a ceasefire. A bilateral summit in Alaska last month yielded few results and Kyiv hopes Trump will put pressure on Moscow after deadlines set by the White House for Russia were ignored. Earlier this week, an Iskander cruise missile hit the cabinet of ministers, a key government building in Kyiv.
During the drone attack, the Polish authorities closed several airports, including Chopin airport in Warsaw, the country’s largest. Three other airports were also closed owing to “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security”, including the key logistics and arms transfer hub in the south-eastern city of Rzeszów. Wednesday’s incursion into Poland was the first reported occasion when Nato defence forces had directly engaged Russian drones. 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.
Chopin airport reopened about 7.30am local time, but early morning departures were delayed for several hours and a number of arriving flights were diverted to other Polish airports. An Air China plane from Beijing due to land at Chopin was sent to Copenhagen, Polish media reported. During the drone attack, the Polish authorities closed several airports, including Chopin airport in Warsaw, the country’s largest, and the key logistics and arms transfer hub in the south-eastern city of Rzeszów. Early morning departures were delayed for several hours and a number of arriving flights were diverted to other Polish airports. An Air China plane from Beijing due to land at Chopin was sent to Copenhagen.
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. However, there had previously been no reports of Polish or other Nato defence forces destroying drones.
The drone strikes took place a day after Poland’s newly elected nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, claimed that Russia was poised to invade more countries. “We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions,” he told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki.
Donald Trump came into office promising a swift end to the war, but has proved unable to persuade Putin to agree a ceasefire. A summit with Putin in Alaska last month yielded few results and Kyiv hopes Trump will now step up pressure on Moscow after a series of deadlines set by the White House for Russia were ignored.