War in Ukraine: Drone shot about Poland: Warsaw wants NATO consultations

Poland first shot down Russian drones in response to a serious injury to the NATO airspace. The unmanned systems had entered Polish airspace during massive Russian attacks on Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk applied for NATO consultations in accordance with Article 4. This provides for consultations with the allies when a NATO state sees itself threatened from the outside.

According to EU information, there are signs that Moscow has deliberately proceeded. The incident marks an escalation between NATO and Russia in connection with the Ukraine War. A direct military approach of Allianz against Russia is currently considered absolutely unlikely due to the associated danger of an even greater war.

Tusk: “This is not our war”

“This is the first case in which Russian drones were shot down over the area of ​​a NATO state, which is why all of our allies take the situation very seriously,” said Tusk after a government meeting. Defense Minister Vladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke of a very difficult provocation.

According to Tusk, the airspace was injured at least 19 times during the night. The shooting of three drones was confirmed, and a fourth may have been hit, said Tusk. The incident cannot be compared to previous drones in Polish airspace: “This is the first time in this war that they did not come from Ukraine due to mistakes or smaller Russian provocations. For the first time, a significant part of the drones came directly from Belarus,” said Tusk.

In the Polish parliament, Tusk demanded more support from the alliance partners. “This is not our war. This is not a war alone for the Ukrainians. This is a confrontation that has explained Russia of the entire free world,” he emphasized.

Russian diplomat rejects reproach

A Russian diplomat accused the allegation of Poland’s airspace injury through drones in his country. “We consider the allegations to be baseless. No evidence has been presented that these drones are of Russian origin,” said Andrej Ordasch, the business authority of the message of Russia in Warsaw, the state news agency Ria Nowosti. He pointed out that a similar allegation in the past had turned out to be wrong in the end.

EU: most serious violation of European airspace

According to EU information, there are signs of a scheduled approach to Moscow. “Last night we have experienced the most serious violation of European airspace by Russia since the beginning of the war, and indications indicate that it was deliberately and not accidentally,” said EU foreign representative Kaja Kallas. She was in contact with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The EU is in full solidarity behind Poland.

As a consequence of the latest developments, Kallas warned to further increase war costs for Moscow, to strengthen support for Ukraine and to invest in Europe’s defense. “Russia’s war escalates, it doesn’t end,” said former Prime Minister of Estonia.

France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron condemned the penetration of more than a dozen Russian drones into Polish airspace. This is simply unacceptable, Macron wrote to X. “I call on Russia to end this flight forward.” Macron expressed its solidarity to the Polish population and its government.

Rümmümt meet Polish town

In the eastern Polish village of Wyriki, the roof of a residential building was hit by ruins by a shot drone, reported the Polish news agency Pap. Nobody was injured. Wyriki is located in the Lublin voivodeship and is about 15 kilometers from the border with Belarus and around 35 kilometers from the border to Ukraine. Further debris was found near the Eastern Polish Biala Podlaska.

The police and military were still looking for drones or drone parts. The general staff called on the population not to approach part of the debris found, but to choose the emergency call and to inform the police about the find.

The airspace injury had alerted the Polish military and NATO partner at night. The High Command of the Polish armed forces wrote on X: “The operation to identify and neutralize the objects is still in progress.” Four airports in the country were temporarily closed, as several media reported, and gradually reopened after the end of the mission.

NATO partners support Poland militarily

The Polish Air Force was supported by Dutch pilots in Type F-35 camouflage jets. Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz thanked for it. According to NATO, several NATO countries in Poland were transferred to higher readiness, including Bundeswehr soldiers with their patriot air defense systems. Germany is currently also holding combat aircraft of the Eurofighter type in Poland, which are involved in protecting the eastern flank.

According to Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, the penetration of the drones into the airspace of Poland shows that Russia is an increasing threat to Europe. “Russia deliberately expands its aggression,” wrote the head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO country on the short message service X.

Harder procedure against airspace injuries announced

In the past few weeks, drones have penetrated the airspace over Poland several times and crashed. Nobody was injured. The defense minister had already said on Tuesday that the drones could be shot down in the future if this was justifiable. The army must make the decision in individual cases.

The EU and NATO member Poland is an important political and military ally of the Ukraine attacked by Russia. The country also has a central function as a logistical hub for the military aid of the West for Kiev. Poland also feels threatened and upgraded by Russia.