Poland’s prime minister reportedly said on Wednesday that his country had shot down multiple Russian drones that entered its airspace overnight, the latest escalation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine that is now threatening NATO territory itself.
“Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies.”
The Polish Armed Forces had already warned on Tuesday that its skies had been “repeatedly violated” by drone-like objects during a Russian strike on Ukraine.
The military urged residents to stay indoors as air defenses worked to intercept the incursions. By Wednesday morning, Mr. Tusk expressed gratitude to both his military and NATO partners, saying, “My thanks and congratulations to the Polish Operational Command and our NATO pilots for shooting down Russian drones over Poland. Actions speak louder than words.”
The incident marked one of the most direct challenges yet to NATO’s commitment to defend its members, a principle Russia has repeatedly tested as its war on Ukraine nears four years. A NATO spokesperson confirmed that “numerous” drones were sighted and said the alliance was weighing a response.
Russia offered no explanation. Belarus, an ally of Moscow, suggested the drones may have veered into Poland because of electronic jamming and denied they were deliberately targeting a NATO member.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called the episode unacceptable regardless of intent. “Whether it was intentional or not it is absolutely reckless,” he told reporters after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. Still, he sought to frame the overnight response as a success. “I think what we have seen last night was a very successful reaction by NATO and Allies, including of course, Poland itself, but also the Dutch and the Italians and the Germans, everybody involved. And I’m really impressed,” Mr. Rutte said.
The alliance, he added, had shown that it could “defend every inch of NATO territory including, of course, its airspace.” His remarks reflect the West’s ongoing balancing act: defending members on the eastern flank while trying to avoid direct war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called for stronger Western air defenses, said his military tracked the drone movements throughout the night and kept Warsaw informed. “At around 00:50 Kyiv time, the first crossing of the state border between Ukraine and Poland by a Russian drone was recorded,” he wrote on X. He said at least two drones used Belarusian airspace before crossing into Poland, while “several dozen Russian drones” moved along Ukraine’s western border and toward Polish territory.
For NATO leaders, the message from Warsaw was clear. Poland, long one of the alliance’s most vocal critics of Moscow, is not waiting for diplomatic reassurances. Its forces are already shooting Russian drones out of the sky — a reminder that while Western capitals debate aid packages and red lines, the war is steadily pressing up against NATO’s own borders.
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