Poland downs Russian UAVs in its airspace, PM Tusk alleges provocation

Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration announced that foreign unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down in the country’s airspace on the night of September 10.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed the downed UAVs belonged to Russia.

The airspace over Warsaw Chopin, Rzeszów-Jasionka, and Lublin airports was closed on the night of September 10 due to “unplanned military activity.”

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces reported that Russia was conducting attacks on targets in Ukraine.

During this time, Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled, while ground-based air defense and radar systems were placed on high alert.

The Ministry of the Interior announced that law enforcement operations were ongoing in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie voivodeships.

“We are facing a large-scale provocation”

Prime Minister Tusk stated on the social media platform X that he had informed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about “the current situation and the measures taken against the elements violating our airspace.”

Tusk held an emergency meeting with ministers responsible for security in the morning. Following the meeting, Tusk alleged that Polish airspace was violated by “numerous Russian unmanned aerial vehicles” on the evening of September 9.

According to a report by Polsat News, citing local police, a UAV crashed into a residence in the town of Wyryki in the Lubelskie voivodeship. The building’s roof and a car were damaged in the incident, but there were no injuries.

Before the emergency meeting, Tusk said, “We are most likely facing a large-scale provocation,” as reported by the TASS agency.

Stating that the UAVs threatening the country’s security were shot down, Tusk added that he was in constant contact with Rutte and other allies.

Polsat News reporter Michal Stela reported that Poland was considering the possibility of invoking Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which provides for emergency consultations with alliance members. This information was later confirmed by Tusk.

‘We are in close consultation with Poland,’ NATO says

According to a report by the Reuters agency, citing a source, NATO does not consider the situation involving UAVs violating Polish airspace as an attack.

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart stated in a post on the social media platform X, “Overnight, numerous unmanned aerial vehicles entered Polish airspace and were met by Polish and NATO air defenses.”

Hart noted that the NATO Secretary General was in contact with the Polish leadership and that the alliance was continuing its close consultations with Poland.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas claimed that the Russian UAVs were deliberately sent into Polish territory.

In a statement on her social media account, Kallas called for “increasing the costs on Moscow, strengthening support for Ukraine, and investing in Europe’s defense.”

According to Kallas, Russia is escalating tensions rather than trying to end the conflict. Kallas added that the European Union would support Poland’s “East Shield” plan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a statement on his Telegram channel, said they were aware of eight Russian UAVs that entered Polish airspace.

Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv was ready to provide Poland with “all necessary data regarding this Russian attack” and to help the country “establish an appropriate warning and protection system.”

Zelenskyy also emphasized the importance of “setting a precedent for several European countries to simultaneously use their fighter jets to shoot down Russian instruments of destruction and protect human lives.”

The Ukrainian leader recalled that Kyiv has long proposed establishing a joint air defense system with its partners.

‘We warned Poland,’ Belarus declares

Belarusian Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of Defense, Major General Pavel Muraveyko, reported that during the mutual UAV attacks between Russia and Ukraine overnight, Belarusian air defense forces continuously monitored UAVs that had “lost their course due to the effects of the parties’ electronic warfare systems.”

Muraveyko said that some of the “stray” UAVs were destroyed over Belarusian territory. Muraveyko also stated that from 11:00 PM on September 9 to 4:00 AM on September 10, Belarus exchanged information on the air radar situation with Poland and Lithuania, warning them about unidentified aerial vehicles approaching their territories.

Muraveyko commented, “This situation allowed the Polish side to react quickly to the activities of the unmanned aerial vehicles and to scramble its on-duty forces.”