A Polish police officer guards the debris of a Russian drone after the overnight attack on Sept. 10. Photo: Polsat News / Reuters
Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said this morning that Russian drones carried out an “unprecedented” violation of the country’s airspace overnight, with several unmanned aircraft posing a danger to residents before being shot down.
“As a result of today’s attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drones. This is an act of aggression that poses a real threat to the safety of our citizens. Polish and allied forces tracked dozens of objects using radar… Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down,” the statement said.
Polsat News reported that one drone damaged a house and a car in Lublin province. No casualties were reported. Alerts were sent to residents in Lublin, Podkarpackie, and Podlaskie provinces, which border Ukraine and Belarus. Polish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones.
Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, as well as Warsaw Modlin, Rzeszów-Jasionka, and Lublin, suspended flights in response to the breach but have since reopened.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia’s attack involved 415 drones, one ballistic missile and 42 cruise missiles, adding that “eight enemy UAVs crossed the Ukrainian state border flying in Poland’s direction.”
Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was the first time Russian drones had been shot down over his country, adding that he had informed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of the incident and was in “constant contact” with all relevant officials.
He also said Poland would invoke NATO’s Article 4, which calls for formal consultations with the alliance. Article 4 has been triggered only seven times since NATO’s founding in 1949, most recently in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry denied having plans to strike targets on Polish territory and proposed holding “consultations” with Poland’s military. The statement came after a massive attack on facilities connected to Ukraine’s defense industry.
The ministry said the maximum range of Russian drones that had “allegedly” violated Poland’s border was no more than 700 kilometers (435 miles). At the same time, Moscow stopped short of directly denying its involvement in the drone incursion into Polish territory.
“We are ready to hold consultations with Poland’s Defense Ministry on this matter,” the ministry said.
It also reported strikes on facilities in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in Vinnytsia and Lviv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports of Russian drones entering Polish airspace.
“In this case, we would not like to comment in any way. This is not within our competence; it is the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said. “The leadership of the EU and NATO accuses Russia of provocation on a daily basis, most often without even attempting to present any kind of argumentation.”
Polish Interior Ministry spokeswoman Karolina Galęcka said seven drones and “fragments of a missile of unknown origin” had been found in the country, according to a report broadcaster Polsat News.
Galęcka stressed that the search is still ongoing and that the number could increase. She also urged Poles not to touch the drones or their debris, and to call emergency services if they discover any.
Earlier, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that more than 20 drones — likely 23 — had violated Polish airspace. A NATO source told Reuters that initial information suggested a “deliberate incursion” by 6 to 10 drones. PM Donald Tusk said 19 drones entered Polish airspace, at least three of which were shot down.
Poland is on high alert for objects entering its airspace as a result of its proximity to Ukraine and Belarus. On Sunday, the border guard reported finding the wreckage of a drone bearing Russian markings about 300 metres from the Belarusian border. In August, a Russian military drone crashed and exploded in an eastern Polish cornfield — an incident the defence ministry called a “provocation.” In 2022, a stray Ukrainian missile struck a village in southern Poland, killing two people.