Poland says it shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace

Poland said some of the drones came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops have begun gathering for war games starting on Friday.

Poland said Wednesday that multiple Russian drones entered its territory over the course of several hours and were shot down with help from NATO allies, describing the incursion as an “act of aggression” carried out during a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine.

The Kremlin refused to comment, but its close ally, Belarus, said it tracked some drones that “lost their course” because they were jammed. However, several European leaders said they believe that the incursion amounted to an intentional escalation by Russia of its war on Ukraine.

Poland said some of the drones came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops have begun gathering for war games starting on Friday.

Polish airspace has been violated many times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been nothing on this scale in Poland or in any other Western nation along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance has confronted a potential threat in its airspace.

NATO met to discuss the incident, which came three days after Russia’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began.

“Russia’s war is escalating, not ending,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “Last night in Poland we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental.”

The extent of the incursion was still becoming clear: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament 19 violations were recorded over seven hours, but that information was still being gathered. Eight crash sites have been found, a government spokesperson said. Dutch fighter jets came to Poland’s aid and intercepted some drones, the Netherlands’ defense minister said.

“This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens,” the Polish military’s operational command said on social media.