By Aldgra Fredly, Victoria Friedman
Contributing Writers
The Polish military said on Tuesday that it had shot down an unspecified number of “drone-type objects” that had breached its airspace during a Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine.
“As a result of an attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects,” the military stated on X. “This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
The head of Russia’s embassy mission in Poland said Warsaw had not provided evidence of Russia’s involvement.
Russian ally Belarus also suggested that some drones unintentionally went off course during Russia-Ukraine strikes overnight.
Poland’s military command said it had ordered immediate defensive action.
“Polish and allied assets radar-tracked several objects, and the operational commander of the Polish Armed Forces made decisions to neutralize those that could pose a threat,” it said.
“Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down.”
It said that efforts are underway to locate the possible crash sites of the downed drones.
Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish aircraft had “used weapons against hostile objects.”
“We are in constant contact with NATO command,” he added on X.
In another statement on X, the military urged residents in affected regions to stay at home while operations continued.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that a military operation was launched after “multiple violations of Polish airspace” and the Polish army used “armaments against the objects.”
When asked about the drones and Tusk’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “In this case, we would not like to comment on it in any way.”
It is unclear how many drones were shot down in the operation.
A NATO spokesperson stated on X that Secretary General Mark Rutte is in communication with the Polish leadership after “numerous drones entered Polish airspace overnight.”
Assessment Ongoing
On Wednesday, Rutte confirmed that Poland had activated Article Four of the NATO treaty, under which alliance members can demand consultations with their allies.
Rutte said in an address to journalists: “Allies expressed solidarity with Poland and denounced Russia’s reckless behavior. A full assessment of the incident is ongoing. What is clear is that the violation last night is not an isolated incident.”
When asked whether he had any initial idea of whether the incident was accidental or intentional, the NATO secretary-general reiterated that a full assessment was underway, but added: “Whether it was intentionally or not, it is absolutely reckless. It is absolutely dangerous.”
On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker underscored the United States’ support to NATO allies.
Whitaker wrote on X, “We stand by our [NATO] allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Drones Went Astray, Says Belarus
Following the incident, Belarusian officials suggested that drones may have gone astray due to electronic jamming during an exchange of strikes between Russia and Ukraine overnight.
Belarus’ chief of the general staff, Maj. Gen. Pavel Muraveiko, did not say whose drones went astray, but said that his military also had to destroy drones that had found their way into Belarusian airspace.
“During the night-time exchange of strikes by UAVs between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the Air Defence Forces and assets of the Republic of Belarus on duty continuously tracked UAVs that had lost their track as a result of the impact of the parties’ electronic warfare assets,” Muraveiko said.
Russian Chargé d’Affaires Andrei Ordash, head of the Russian embassy’s mission in Poland, told the RIA news agency that Poland had not provided evidence of the alleged Russian origin of the drones shot down, suggesting that they had come from Ukraine.
“We know one thing — these drones were flying from the side of Ukraine,” Ordash said.
Poland, a member of the NATO military alliance, shares a border with Ukraine and Russian ally Belarus, making it a frontline state in the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia launched 415 drones and 40 cruise and ballistic missiles against Ukraine on Tuesday, with at least eight drones breaching Polish territory.
The Ukrainian leader has offered to share with Poland the data it has on the recent Russian strike.
“Increasing evidence indicates that this movement, this direction of strike, was no accident. There have been previous incidents of individual Russian drones crossing the border and traveling a short distance into neighboring countries. But this time, we are recording a much larger scale and deliberate targeting,” he stated.
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a Polish village and killed two people in 2022, just a few months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has sought to mediate a peace deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Sunday readiness to impose more sanctions against Russia, as negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine stalled and Moscow intensified its attacks on Kyiv.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
