Poland confirmed early Wednesday that it shot down multiple Russian drones after what officials described as an “unprecedented” violation of its airspace — the first direct engagement between Russian assets and a NATO member state since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said “a huge number of drones” penetrated Polish skies overnight, forcing the closure of four airports, including Warsaw’s main hub Chopin. “This is an act of aggression,” Tusk declared, adding that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was being kept in constant contact.
President Karol Nawrocki convened a National Security Council briefing, pledging that “the security of our homeland is our highest priority and requires close cooperation.”
The Polish Armed Forces said the drones, launched as part of Russia’s overnight barrage on Ukraine, were tracked by NATO radar and Polish air defense before being shot down. Search teams are now combing rural areas of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin for debris, warning civilians not to touch potential fragments, which could contain hazardous materials.
Warsaw’s Chopin and Modlin airports, along with Rzeszów–Jasionka and Lublin, suspended flights for hours. Though airspace reopened later in the morning, delays are expected throughout the day.
NATO’s Air Command thanked the Netherlands for scrambling F-35 fighters to reinforce Polish defenses.
Russia has not commented on the incident. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the drone attack proved that Vladimir Putin is “testing the West,” warning that “a weak response now will provoke Russia even more — and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe.”
The strike follows Moscow’s record-breaking aerial assault days earlier that hit Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv. Analysts say Wednesday’s incursion escalates the war’s risk of spilling deeper into NATO territory, a red line the alliance has long prepared for but until now had not directly faced.
