Poland Says Its Fighter Jets Shot Down Russian Drones That Entered Its Airspace

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Poland said Wednesday that it scrambled its fighter jets to shoot down “hostile objects” that entered its airspace during a Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, the first such response

“An operation is underway over Poland to neutralize objects that violated the country’s airspace,” Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on social media early Wednesday. “Aircraft have engaged hostile objects with weapons.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Warsaw was in “constant contact” with NATO commanders, adding that Polish forces had been deployed to search for drone debris on the ground.

Poland’s military said it had tracked roughly a dozen drone-like objects and shot down several, calling the violations “unprecedented” and “a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that weapons had been used during the operation. He said the government scheduled an emergency cabinet meeting for Thursday morning.

Poland temporarily closed part of its airspace during the incident, halting flights from Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport.

Russia unleashed a wave of strikes across Ukraine overnight, including in the western city of Lviv, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Polish border.

Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, said its air defense forces had tracked and shot down several drones that “lost their course as a result of electronic warfare measures” during an overnight exchange of air attacks between Russia and Ukraine.

In a video statement, Belarusian Chief of the General

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the episode showed that a lack of a strong international response against previous Russian attacks had emboldened President Vladimir Putin.

“The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets,” Sybiga said. “A weak response now will provoke Russia even more — and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe.”

The incident came a day after Polish President Karol Nawrocki warned at an event in Finland that Putin was ready to invade more countries beyond Ukraine.

Poland, a NATO member and one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees and serves as a critical transit hub for Western humanitarian and military aid.

The country has reported previous airspace violations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Last month, a Russian drone exploded in farmland in eastern Poland, an incident Warsaw described as a “provocation.” In 2023, a Russian missile briefly crossed into Poland before striking Ukraine.

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