Russian drones were shot down after crossing into Polish airspace in the early hours on September 10, Poland’s government said.
Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish and allied radar systems tracked more than 10 objects that crossed the border. “Drones that could have posed a danger were shot down. Work is underway to locate possible crash sites,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X.
The armed forces described the incident as an “act of aggression” that posed “a real threat to the safety of our citizens.” Polish and allied aircraft were sent to identify and neutralise the drones, the Operational Command said.
The Operational Command also warned that the military operation remained active and urged residents in Białystok, Warsaw, and Lublin provinces - which are closest to Poland’s borders with Belarus and Ukraine - to stay indoors.
Poland also closed its Warsaw Chopin Airport, the country’s biggest, as well as airports in Modlin near Warsaw, and Lublin.
“Due to the actions of state services and the military to ensure safety, the airspace over part of the country, including over Chopin Airport, has been temporarily closed. The airport remains open, but no flight operations are currently taking place,” Warsaw Chopin Airport said in a statement.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in “constant contact" with the defence ministry and President Karol Nawrocki. The president’s office is yet to issue a statement.
Poland’s armed forces had earlier reported “repeated violations by drone-type objects” during Russian strikes on Ukraine, saying the country’s air defences had been moved to the “highest state of readiness.”
Warsaw (AFP) – Poland said Wednesday that "hostile objects" had been downed by Polish or allied aircraft scrambled in response to multiple violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
Issued on: 10/09/2025 - FRANCR24
"Aircraft have used weapons against hostile objects," Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on social media, adding: "We are in constant contact with NATO command."
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.
A cornerstone of the Western military alliance is the principle that an attack on any member is deemed an attack on all.
The operational command of Poland's military said earlier that "our airspace was repeatedly violated by drones" during a Russian assault on neighbouring Ukraine, and that Polish and allied aircraft had been mobilised in response.
It added they were working to "identify and neutralise" some targets and to locate others that had been downed.
"An operation related to multiple violations of Polish airspace is underway," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media, confirming that weapons had been used against the invading objects.
'Provocation'
The operation came as airports including Warsaw's main Chopin Airport were closed, according to a US Federal Aviation Administration notice which cited "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security".
It comes a day after Poland's newly elected nationalist President Karol Nawrocki warned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to invade more countries after launching his war in Ukraine.
"We do not trust Vladimir Putin's good intentions," Nawrocki told reporters Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki.
"We believe that Vladimir Putin is ready to also invade other countries."
NATO-member Poland, a major supporter of Ukraine, hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees and is a key transit point for Western humanitarian and military aid to the war-torn country.
Last month, Warsaw said a Russian military drone flew into its airspace and exploded in farmland in eastern Poland, calling the incident a "provocation".
Poland in 2023 said a Russian missile had crossed into its airspace to strike Ukraine.
And in November 2022, two civilians were killed when a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile fell on a village near the border.
© 2025 AFP
Poland has scrambled fighter aircraft and temporarily shut its main airports after reports that Russian drones entered its airspace during overnight strikes on Ukraine the BBC reports. It is a development that has drawn immediate reaction from Washington.
The Polish armed forces said on X that both national and allied aircraft were airborne to protect the country’s skies. “Ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command announced.
According to a notice posted by the US Federal Aviation Administration, four airports were suspended, including Warsaw Chopin and Warsaw Modlin - the capital’s two key hubs. Rzeszów-Jasionka, the closest air hub to Ukraine, and Lublin were also closed. The Reuters news agency first reported the closures.
The suspected incursion has already sparked political shockwaves in Washington. Senator Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it would be “incredibly serious” if confirmed that Russian aircraft were active over a Nato country. He noted, however, that Poland has been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict a number of times previously.
It has since been revealed that 'objects' have been shot down over Poland, and in a subsequent post on X by the Polish military that "weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed objects" according to the BBC.
This is a developing story and will be added to as news comes in.
No comments:
Post a Comment