NATO does not consider the drone entry into Poland an attack

NATO believes that the entry of Russian drones into Poland's airspace was a preliminary violation, but not an attack. Reuters writes about this, citing its sources. For the first time since the war in Ukraine began, NATO aircraft have been used to respond to a threat in an ally's sky. At the same time, the Patriot warning systems, although they detected the drones, did not participate in blocking the attack.

To recall, according to media outlets, Poland is considering the possibility of applying Article 4 of NATO, which allows any member state of the Alliance to initiate consultations if its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened.

The application of NATO's Article 4 implies that a member country can officially invite all allies to discuss the situation and possible joint measures.

This does not lead to automatic military intervention (like Article 5, which provides for collective defense), but it can lead to diplomatic steps, strengthening of defense, deployment of troops, additional security guarantees, or other non-military support. The consultations take place in the NATO North Atlantic Council, and decisions are made by consensus.

This article has been applied 7 times since the creation of NATO in 1949. In 5 of the 7 cases, Article 4 was applied due to events related to Turkey, and once each for Bulgaria and Poland. In Poland's case, the reason for the application of the article was Russia's taking control of Crimea.

As a result, NATO decided to strengthen its Eastern flank and reinforce its presence, particularly in Poland.

As for the Russian drone incident in September 2025, Poland, according to unofficial sources, is considering the possibility of applying Article 4 but, hours after the incident, as of September 10, has not yet officially applied it.