The Russian Defense Ministry said it did not plan an attack on targets in Poland, Reuters reported. The statement came after Poland said its air force, with the help of Dutch fighter jets, had destroyed more than ten drones that had entered Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine overnight, BTA reported.
According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, this was the first time that "Russian drones have been shot down over NATO territory".
"Targets to be hit on Polish territory were not planned", the Russian Defense Ministry announced, quoted by TASS. The ministry added that it was ready for consultations with the Polish Ministry of Defense "on the given topic".
The statement of the Russian ministry reported that the Russian army had struck Ukrainian military plants in Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in the cities of Vinnytsia and Lviv. The range of the drones, which are alleged to have entered Polish airspace, does not exceed 700 km, TASS specified.
The incursion of drones into Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine shows that Moscow is ready to escalate the conflict, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
“Russia has recklessly undertaken a dangerous escalation“, Wadeful said at a press conference. "Unfortunately, it is clear that even though three years have passed, Moscow is still not ready to negotiate seriously for peace. On the contrary, the Kremlin wants to subjugate Ukraine by force," the German minister noted. He stressed that NATO must remain united and give a "firm and clear response."
Meanwhile, a German government spokesman said that the entry of drones into Polish airspace was a very serious situation and demonstrated the extent to which Russia was testing Europe's resolve.
"This shows once again what kind of threat we face and how much we are being tested by Russia," the spokesman said at a regular press conference.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also commented on the situation, stressing that Berlin supports Poland in activating Article 4 of the NATO treaty.
Article 4 provides for consultations if a member state of the alliance believes that its territorial integrity, independence or security is threatened.
Pistorius also told the Bundestag that the Polish authorities' statements made it clear that that the drones that violated Polish airspace were armed.