Polish and NATO fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday night after Russian drones crossed into Poland’s airspace during a large-scale assault on Ukraine, marking the first time since the war began that allied forces have directly engaged Russian military assets.
Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister said the incident represented “an unprecedented violation” and left Poland “closer to open conflict than at any time since the Second World War.”
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Polish military officials confirmed that at least 19 drones entered the country’s airspace between late Tuesday and early Wednesday as Russia launched a barrage of strikes on western Ukraine. Some of the drones travelled deep into Polish territory, with one striking a residential building in the eastern village of Wyryki. No casualties were reported.
Polish F-16s, backed by Dutch F-35 jets and Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft, shot down several drones judged to pose a direct threat. Poland’s interior ministry later said seven drones and debris from another unidentified object were recovered across the country.
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Three airports, including Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport, were temporarily closed, and residents in parts of eastern Poland were told to take shelter until the threat subsided.
The breach has rattled NATO, which has long warned that any direct attack on a member state could trigger the alliance’s collective defence clause. While Warsaw stressed that Poland is not in a state of war, Tusk told parliament that the situation was “serious” and demanded close coordination with NATO allies.
Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general condemned Russia’s actions as “reckless behaviour,” while the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called the intrusion “the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began.” She urged the bloc to “raise the cost on Moscow, strengthen support for Ukraine, and invest in Europe’s defence.”
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Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the drone attack as part of a wider overnight barrage that saw 415 drones and more than 40 missiles fired at 15 Ukrainian regions. He warned that Russia was “pushing the boundaries of what is possible” and pressed for a stronger international response.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on the incident, though a Russian diplomat in Warsaw dismissed the allegations as unfounded.
For Poland, the episode underscores its vulnerability as both a frontline NATO state and a key staging ground for Western military support to Ukraine. “We are ready to repel such provocations,” Tusk said, adding that his government would not allow Russia to destabilise the country or test NATO’s resolve.
