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Poland’s PM Tusk says ‘huge number’ of drones entered Polish airspace during major attack on western Ukraine
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Russia aimed a “huge number” of drones at Poland overnight in a major escalation, prime minister Donald Tusk said.
Polish air defences and Nato aircraft sprung into action to down the drones, which had entered its airspace during a large attack on western Ukraine.
Mr Tusk held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning after saying Poland’s airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones”.
There is “increasing evidence” that Poland was deliberately targeted by Russian drones, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed, after Warsaw condemned the “act of aggression”.
But the Nato military alliance is not currently treating the incursion of drones as an attack on one of its members, a source told Reuters.
Reports in Poland suggested that a residential building in Wyryki, eastern Poland, was hit – but there were no reports of any injuries.
Operations at airports in Warsaw, Modlin and Rzeszow – which were all closed after the attack – have been reopened. The airport in Lublin remains temporarily closed.
Warsaw is in close contact with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, Mr Tusk confirmed, after the Polish government held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning.
Polish president Karol Nawrocki decided to call a meeting of the National Security Council within 48 hours as Poland shot down Russian drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine.
“…news that we will have full information about what happened in Poland within 48 hours led me to the decision to convene the National Security Council within 48 hours,” Karol Nawrocki said adding the situation was unprecedented moment in Nato’s and Poland’s history.
We’re getting reaction from across Europe, as countries rally to Poland’s support following the incursion of a number of Russian drones into its territory.
The EU Council’s president Antonio Costa said the blog stands in full solidarity with Poland, adding that the “security of one is the security of all”.
Czech prime minister Petr Fiala echoed these words, adding: “Putin’s regime threatens all of Europe and systematically probes how far it can go. It is reassuring that Poland’s air defence systems responded effectively.”
The incursion is “simply unacceptable”, French president Emmanuel Macron said on X, as he condemned it in the “strongest possible terms”.
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas condemned the “most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began” and said that “indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasised his belief that Poland was deliberately targeted during a Russian drone attack overnight.
“Increasing evidence indicates that this movement, this direction of strike, was no accident,” he wrote on X.
“Ukraine is also ready to help Poland build an effective system of warning and protection against such Russian threats.”
Nato is not treating the incursion as a direct attack on one of its members, a source in the military alliance told Reuters.
Poland’s “relatively lame” response to previous incidents of Russian drones entering its airspace likely encouraged Russia to divert some drones to Polish airspace, a military analyst has told The Independent.
There have been multiple reports of Russian drones violating Polish airspace in the past week, drawing condemnation from Warsaw, but no fierce military response.
“This has likely encouraged the Russians to continue taking advantage of the situation, as flying through Polish airspace helps Russians to avoid Ukrainian air defences,” said Emil Kastehelmi, military analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group.
Despite claims that Ukrainian electronic warfare could be the reason behind drones straying from their route, Mr Kastehelmi believes “at least some level of usage of the Polish airspace has been intentional”.
He added: “Even if it was unintentional, it is still a serious example of Russia’s indifference to whether its military operations affect third parties as they conduct strikes in western Ukraine.”
The Nato military alliance is not treating the drone incursion into Polish territory as an attack, a Nato source has told Reuters.
Initial indications suggested an intentional incursion of six to ten Russian drones.
“It was the first time Nato aircraft have engaged potential threats allied airspace,” the source said, adding Nato’s Patriot air defence systems in the region had detected the drones with their radars but not engaged them.
Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35, Italian AWACS surveillance planes and mid-air refueling aircraft jointly operated by Nato were involved in the overnight operation, according to the source.
Poland has called an emergency Nato council meeting after shooting down at least eight Russian drones that entered its airspace in the most dangerous test of the alliance’s resolve in decades.
In calling for the council meeting, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, who said he was in “constant contact” with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, was bringing the alliance together to discuss its Article Five – the obligation to defend a member with war.
The move will further test Donald Trump’s loyalty to the West’s most important strategic alliance. He has spent the last seven months in office backing Russia against America’s allies and himself threatened to invade or annex Nato members Canada and Denmark.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk is chairing an emergency meeting with leading figures in the government and military.
He says Poland is ready to react to any attacks and provocations by the Russian military.
The violation of Poland’s airspace was likely a large-scale provocation, he added.
Drone components have been found near a cemetery in the town of Czesniki, south-eastern Poland, Polish local prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
No one was injured in the attack according to the findings so far, the office added.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said Russia fired a “huge number” of drones into Polish airspace overnight.
“Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down,” he wrote on X.
He added that he is in “constant communication” with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
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