Poland Downs Russian Drones in "Unprecedented" Breach

Early in the morning, unmanned aerial vehicles entered Poland's airspace. According to various sources, there were more than a dozen.

The Operational Command of the Polish Army issued a statement describing the situation related to the incursion of drones into Polish airspace: "As a result of the Russian Federation's attack on the territory of Ukraine, an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by unmanned aerial vehicle-type objects has occurred."

In a post on the social network X, the Polish command noted that the drones that entered Polish airspace posed a "real threat" to the safety of Polish citizens.

According to the post, when the drones entered the airspace, they were shot down, and efforts are now being made to determine the possible crash sites of the "objects."

"Polish and allied forces and assets are fully prepared for further action," they wrote.

The Russian drones did not simply get lost in Poland. This happened during Russia's latest attack on Ukraine, when the air raid alert began before midnight with warnings of at least 100 drones in the air, as well as Russia preparing to launch missiles.

Then, as Ukrainians took shelter in underground bunkers, information began to emerge that some of these drones had crossed Poland's air border. The BBC emphasizes that this is not just a matter of drones getting lost or a simple mistake.

Moscow wants to test the West's reaction, the media outlet wrote. They went so deep into Polish territory that even Warsaw's airport was closed, along with several other airports closer to the border.

Russian drones have crossed Ukraine's western border before. Once, a Russian missile even fell in a forest but did not explode.

In 2022, two villagers near the border were killed, likely as a result of a missile being shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

In fact, with this incursion, the Russian side is making direct contact with a NATO member state for the first time. The alliance was informed of this operationally.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on X that he had informed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the situation and the actions taken by Poland against the "objects that violated our airspace." "We are in constant contact."

Poland is a member state of the NATO security alliance, which unites the US and many European countries around common defense. NATO operations in Poland are led by the US armed forces.

Days ago, the head of the White House announced that the US is not going to withdraw from Poland. He even promised to deploy new forces in Poland if necessary. At that time, it might not have sounded relevant. But against the background of these developments, Trump's statements sound more like a warning.

How NATO will react and how individual members of the alliance will react is not yet clear. Instead, Poland has announced an expedited call-up for its territorial defense reservists due to the UAV incidents, Ukrainian media report.

Further steps will become known in the near future. After the morning incident, Poland has convened an emergency meeting of the security council, the government's press secretary announced.