Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace and were downed by NATO fighter jets. A European official claimed the incursion in Polish airspace was an intentional provocation by Moscow.
On Wednesday, 19 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace from Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the drones were targeting military-industrial targets in western Ukraine. Russian ally Belarus claimed the drones flew off course due to electronic warfare.
Some of the drones were shot down, with debris landing on cars and homes. Warsaw did not report any casualties. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the Russian drones an “unprecedented in scale violation of airspace” and invoked Article 4 of the NATO Charter.
The recovered wreckage of the drones suggests they were decoy models and not explosive UAVs.
The European Union’s top foreign policy official asserted that Russia intended for the drones to enter Polish airspace to provoke NATO. “Russia’s war is escalating, not ending,” Kaja Kallas told reporters. “What (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to do is to test us. What happened in Poland is a game changer.”
She went on to demand new sanctions on Russia.
President Donald Trump suggested the incursion could result in an escalation of the conflict between NATO and the West. “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” he wrote on Truth Social.
