The Polish defense minister arrived in Kiev on Monday to seek Ukraine's help in developing his country's counter-drone capabilities a little more than a week after Russian drones entered Polish airspace and exposed NATO's vulnerability, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Drones, which are used for both attack and defense, have taken on a central role on the battlefield since Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago. They have changed the way warfare is waged, and countries around the world are trying to master this rapidly developing technology, the agency noted.
“We will sign an agreement on cooperation between (defense) ministries, but also on acquiring skills to operate drones,“ Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Koszyniak-Kamysz said in comments published on his ministry's website.
The incursion of Russian drones last week, which were shot down by NATO fighter jets, has heightened tensions in Eastern Europe, the AP noted. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues despite months of U.S. efforts to stop it. The invasion has heightened fears that the war could spread beyond Ukraine. NATO has announced it is strengthening its defenses along its eastern flank, bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Moscow, meanwhile, has demonstrated its conventional and nuclear military might during long-planned exercises with Belarus that have fueled Western concerns about Russia's intentions. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or jammed the signals of 48 of 75 Russian drones aimed at the country last night, Ukraine's air force said today. Rail infrastructure, a frequent target of recent strikes, has been hit again. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that the strikes on energy and rail infrastructure were aimed at aimed at disrupting supply lines and creating social tension.