Several Russian drones were shot down by the Polish armed forces after they invaded the country's airspace. Donald Tusk spoke of a “large-scale provocation”.
Drones have entered Polish airspace on other occasions in the past. However, this is the first time that Poland has had to shoot down Russian drones. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a “large-scale provocation”.
What exactly happened
During an attack on Ukraine, several Russian drones entered Polish airspace repeatedly. The army reports that more than a dozen drones were involved. Some of them were shot down. Polish Prime Minister Tusk confirmed that the drones were Russian and said that Warsaw was ready to deter such provocations. A meeting of Poland's security council was also called. "This is an act of aggression that created a real danger to the security of citizens", the army wrote in H.
NATO leadership has been informed, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosińska-Kamiś announced. Internal security units have been instructed to search the area for remains of the downed drones. According to police, the first drone was found in the village of Czosnowka in eastern Poland. Kosińska-Kamiś urged citizens not to approach the remains and to inform the police if they find them. Residents of the Podlaskie, Mazovia and Lublin regions were urged to stay in their homes.
Polish television Polsat News reported, citing police, that a drone had hit a residential building in the eastern part of the country - in the town of Wieriki in the Lublin region. No injuries were reported, local media reported.
A deliberate provocation?
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kalas, accused Russia of deliberately violating Polish airspace.
"The EU expresses full solidarity with Poland," she added. "Russia's war is escalating, not ending. We must increase the price for Moscow, strengthen support for Ukraine and invest in the defense of Europe.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least eight drones attacked Poland during the latest wave of Russian night attacks, in which about 415 drones and more than 40 missiles were sent against Ukraine. According to Zelensky, the fact that at least eight drones did not enter Polish airspace is a clear sign that there can be no talk of coincidence or mistake. According to the Ukrainian president, this is “a particularly dangerous precedent for Europe”.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha ”a weak response now will provoke Russia even more – and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reaffirmed the EU's full support for Poland and called for new sanctions against Russia.
The situation "seems to be under control"
This morning, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the situation in the skies over his country "seems to be under control". Tusk said there was no need for restrictions that would make life difficult for Polish citizens, and that there was no room for panic. Airports in Warsaw and Rzeszow resumed operations earlier after being temporarily suspended following the incursion of drones into Polish airspace.
NATO is set to discuss the incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace, and Polish President Karol Nawrocki is set to chair a national security briefing after being briefed by the Polish Armed Forces.