Poland used fighter planes to shoot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine.
Poland’s military command said radars tracked more than 10 flying objects during the Russian attack earlier on Sept 10 across the border in western Ukraine, adding that those posing a threat were “neutralised”.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency cabinet meeting and said he had briefed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on the situation.
“Our military used weapons against the objects that violated Polish airspace. We remain in constant contact with NATO,” he wrote on X.
He later told reporters this was the first time that such a large incursion by Russian drones had occurred in the airspace of a NATO member and that this “provocation” required a determined response from the alliance.
Defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, cutting short a visit in London, said the drones “that could have posed a threat were shot down” and that territorial defence forces were activated to search for debris.
Some debris from the downed drones damaged two houses and a car in eastern Poland.
Following the airspace breach, Warsaw’s Chopin Airport initially suspended operations.
“The airport remains open but no flight operations are currently taking place,” Chopin airport said in a post on X but later announced that flights had resumed though delays are to be expected throughout the day.
Air traffic was also halted at Warsaw Modlin Airport, Lublin Airport in eastern Poland and Rzeszów Airport in the south-east, which serves as a vital hub for humanitarian aid and arms transfers to Ukraine.
Police, border guards and firefighters were placed on alert across eastern Poland.
The interior ministry said units from Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Mazowieckie and Podkarpackie provinces were mobilised.
The authorities urged residents in the eastern provinces of Poland to remain at home, warning these regions were most at risk but schools remained open.
The incident marked the latest in a number of similar violations into Poland’s airspace and comes before Poland closes its border crossings with Belarus on September 12, the eve of joint Russian-Belarusian military Zapad exercises near the Polish border.
A key “target” of the exercises was reported to be the Suwałki gap, a strategic stretch of land near Russia’s westernmost region of Kaliningrad
“On Friday, Russian-Belarusian manoeuvres, very aggressive from a military doctrine perspective, begin in Belarus, very close to the Polish border,” Tusk said ahead of a cabinet meeting in Warsaw.
“Therefore, for national security reasons, on September 12 at midnight we will close the border with Belarus, including rail crossings” he added.
Russia and Belarus have said 13,000 troops will take part but German and Lithuanian officials estimate closer to 30,000, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
A few days ago, Warsaw accused Minsk of staging a provocation after the Belarusian KGB security service detained a Polish citizen on espionage charges tied to the exercises.
Belarusian defence minister Viktar Khrenin revealed in August the exercises would include planning for the use of nuclear weapons and Oreshnik ballistic missiles.
