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LAST UPDATE | 10 Sep
POLAND’S FOREIGN MINISTER has said that the overnight intrusion of several Russian drones into the country’s airspace was “not an accidental event”.
Poland identified 19 violations of its airspace overnight and shot down at least three drones, the government said earlier, adding that no one was harmed in the “Russian action” that has been widely condemned as an act of aggression.
“We have no doubt that this was not an accidental event,” the country’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters this afternoon.
We are dealing with an unprecedented case of an attack not only on Poland’s territory but also on the territory of NATO and the European Union.
Sikorski said that Russian drones had veered into Polish airspace before, but said this situation was different.
“When one or two drones does it, it is possible that it was a technical malfunction. But as I told you, in this case, there were 19 breaches, and it simply defies imagination that that could be accidental.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk last night confirmed that weapons had been used against the “hostile objects”, saying on social media that an “operation related to multiple violations of Polish airspace” was underway.
He also told the country’s parliament that Poland was closer to military conflict “than at any time since the second world war”.
NATO forces participated in the response, during which at least seven drones were reportedly shot down.
The entry of the drone’s into Polish airspace coincided with a major assault on Ukraine by Russia, which included attacks on the western city of Lviv, around 80 kilometres from the Polish border.
The operational command of Poland’s military slammed the “unprecedented” airspace violations, saying it had spotted around a dozen drone-type objects and downed some of them.
“This is an act of aggression that has created a real threat to the safety of our citizens,” it said.
The Russian army said today that it did not target Polish sites.
“There were no intentions to engage any targets on the territory of Poland,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement in English, without confirming or denying that its drones had entered Polish airspace.
“We are ready to hold consultations on this subject with the Polish defence ministry,” it added.
Repeating the military statement, Russia’s foreign ministry said: “These concrete facts fully debunk the myths once again being spread by Poland to further escalate the Ukraine crisis.”
Separately, the Russian embassy in Warsaw told AFP that Poland “has failed to provide evidence of the Russian origin of the objects that entered Polish airspace.”
Last night’s response to the incursion was the first time NATO aircraft had ever engaged targets inside the alliance’s airspace.
Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of NATO members – including Poland – several times during Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war, but a NATO country has never attempted to shoot them down.
Polish authorities closed the airspace over part of the country, according to a statement from Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport, where flights were halted.
A NATO spokesperson confirmed its air defences were involved in the response.
“Numerous drones entered Polish airspace overnight and were met with Polish and NATO air defences. The NATO Secretary General is in touch with Polish leadership and NATO is consulting closely with Poland,” spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.
NATO ambassadors held a regular meeting this morning and since then the alliance’s chief, Mark Rutte, has praised the “very successful” response.
The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said: “We stand by our NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
A cornerstone of the Western military alliance is the principle that an attack on any member is deemed an attack on all.
The Polish government also held an “extraordinary” cabinet meeting early this morning to discuss the incident.
A White House official has said that US President Donald Trump will speak to his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki today.
The incursion has been widely condemned by European leaders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described it as an “unprecedented violation” of European airspace.
Von der Leyen said that “Europe will defend every inch of its territory” while NATO also committed to protecting the integrity of its members’ airspace.
Ukraine has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “testing the West” and that the entry of the drones appeared to be deliberate, rather than accidental, comments echoed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
“Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said. “The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets.”
“A weak response now will provoke Russia even more – and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe,” he added.
“It was not just one Shahed that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed toward Poland,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, referring to Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow, adding that the incident represented “an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia had “endangered human lives in a state that is a member of NATO and the EU”.
“This reckless action is part of a long chain of provocations in the Baltic Sea region and on NATO’s eastern flank. The German government condemns this aggressive Russian action in the strongest possible terms.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the incursion a “violation” of Poland’s territory and sovereignty.
“This was a reckless and unprecedented act that is a stark reminder of the threat posed by Russia to Europe’s security,” Martin said.
“As the Government will discuss today, these events underline the need to strengthen our support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was “deeply concerned” by the Russian incursion, which he described as “entirely unacceptable, and poses a risk to civilians”.
“I strongly urge de-escalation at this point and reaffirm Ireland’s strong support for a fellow EU member state and a shared commitment to peace and security across Europe.
“It is past time that Russia ends its criminal war of aggression in Ukraine,” Harris said.
- Additional reporting by Eoghan Dalton and AFP
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