Poland’s military said early Wednesday that it had shot down drones that violated its airspace during a Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, the first time it has taken such a step in what is a major provocation for Europe and NATO forces.
“This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens,” said Poland’s Operation Command in a post on X Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was the first time Russian drones had been shot down over the territory of a NATO member state and the incursion involved a “huge number” of them.
“We are most likely dealing with a large-scale provocation,” Tusk said on Polish Television, following an emergency meeting of Poland’s National Security Bureau.
He said the “situation is serious” and that the country was “ready to repel” this type of attack.
“The security of our homeland is our highest priority,” Polish President Karol Nawrocki said.
Poland is a member of the NATO alliance, a transatlantic defense pact involving the US that employs the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. European faith in the reliability of that pact has been shaken under US President Donald Trump who, alongside key cabinet members, have called on Europe to the lead in its own defense.
Tusk said he was in constant communication with the secretary general of NATO and Poland’s allies.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called it “the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began.” She said “indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental,” adding: “Russia’s war is escalating, not ending.”
The Polish military thanked NATO member the Netherlands for contributing F-35 fighter jets to defensive operations overnight, which have now concluded.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least eight “Shahed” drones had been aimed toward Poland, in what he called “an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe.” His own country endured a Russian attack involving 415 drones and 40 missiles overnight.
The leader of the newest NATO member, Sweden, called the presence of Russian drones over Poland “unacceptable.”
“The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine poses a threat to the security of all of Europe,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a post on X.
“Russia is deliberately expanding its aggression, posing an ever-growing threat to Europe,” said Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, also a NATO member.
The drone incursion comes as Trump’s attempts to strike a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have ground to a halt, with Moscow only scaling up its aerial assaults.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “testing the West.”
