Poland shoots down Russian drones in Poland

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Poland has shot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine.

The announcement came after Poland closed airports and launched an operation “to neutralise” objects that crossed over its border.

“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation targeting targets in Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drones,” a statement from the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X early on Wednesday. “At the request of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed targets.“

Four airports, including the major Chopin airport in Warsaw, were closed according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, while the country’s armed forces said that military aircraft had been activated to ensure airspace safety. There was no official confirmation from the command that any airports had been closed.

Deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk said in a post on X that an operation had been launched “to neutralize objects that have violated and exceeded the border of the Republic of Poland” and that “we ask you to follow the announcements of the Polish army and the police.”

Prime minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki had been notified, he said.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland’s southeast, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine, was among the airports that had been temporarily closed.

Earlier, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland’s airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but it subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.

In the United States, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said repeated violations of Nato airspace by Russian drones were a sign that “Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.“

“After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” he said on X.

As of 0120 GMT, most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland, had been under air raid alerts for several hours, according to Ukraine’s air force.

Romania scrambled fighter jets early Wednesday morning after a group of aerial drones were detected near its border with Ukraine.

Two F-16 fighter jets from Romania's air force took off at 12:59 a.m. local time from the 86th Air Base in Feteşti for reconnaissance missions, the country's Ministry of National Defense said.

The group of drones were detected near the Ukrainian town of Vylkove, which is on the border with Romania. No incursions into Romanian airspace were detected, and the alert ended at 2:35 a.m.

Why It Matters
Romania's response came hours after fellow NATO member Poland scrambled its own air defenses and shot down drones that "repeatedly violated" its airspace on Tuesday evening during a Russian attack on Ukraine.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's defense minister, said that "more than 10 objects" crossed into Polish airspace. It was the first time that Poland fired shots during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command wrote on X, "This is an act of aggression that has created a real threat to the safety of our citizens."

What To Know
Commenting on Wednesdays' operation, Romania's Defense Ministry said: "The Ministry of National Defense permanently maintains a high level of vigilance and ensures strict surveillance of the national air, maritime and land space.

"We are in permanent contact with our allies, exchange operational information in real time and act firmly to guarantee the security of Romania and NATO's eastern flank."

Fighter jets have been scrambled from Romania on multiple occasions in response to Russian attacks in 2025.

On August 20, two German fighter jets were deployed amid a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine that struck Danube River port infrastructure in Izmail near the NATO frontier.

The German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, stationed at Romania's Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base as part of NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission, were scrambled to monitor the situation in the border area, according to Romania's Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile on July 2, Romania scrambled two fighter jets after Russia launched another drone attack close to its border. The F-16 jets took off from a major air base east of the Romanian capital at 11:15 p.m. local time.

In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday's incursions were probably a "large-scale provocation" by Russia, adding that he had been in contact with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

What People Are Saying
Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X:"Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down. I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X: "Moscow always pushes the boundaries of what is possible, and if it does not encounter a strong reaction, it remains at the new level of escalation. Today there was another step of escalation—Russian-Iranian 'shaheds' operated in the airspace of Poland, in NATO airspace. It was not just one 'shahed' that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed toward Poland.

An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe. Whether there will be further steps depends entirely on the coordination and strength of the response. The Russians must feel the consequences. Russia must feel that the war cannot be expanded and will have to be ended.

"The pause in sanctions has gone on far too long. Delaying restrictions on Russia and its accomplices only means increasing the brutality of the strikes. Sufficient weapons are needed to deter Russia. A strong response is needed—and it can only be a joint response by all partners: Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans, the United States. I thank everyone who is helping."

What Happens Next
The latest attacks may add to pressure within NATO to bolster air defenses and surveillance near its eastern borders.

NATO is meeting on Wednesday morning and will discuss how to respond to the incursions, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said.

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed in a “preventive” operation in Poland’s airspace Saturday because of a threat of drone strikes in neighboring areas of Ukraine, and the airport in the eastern Polish city of Lublin was closed, authorities said.

The alert lasted around two hours. It came after multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland on Wednesday, prompting NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down and underlining long-held concerns about the expansion of Russia’s more than three-year war in Ukraine.

The Polish military’s operational command posted on X on Saturday afternoon that ground-based air defense and reconnaissance systems were on high alert. It stressed that “these actions are preventive in nature,” and were aimed at securing Poland’s airspace and protecting the country’s citizens. It cited a threat of drone strikes in regions of Ukraine bordering Poland, but didn’t give further details.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk also posted that “preventive air operations” had begun in Polish airspace because of the threat posed by Russian drones operating over nearby areas of Ukraine. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said that Lublin Airport was closed to air traffic “due to military aviation activities,” and the government security center warned of a threat of air attack for several border counties in the region.

Later Saturday, the military’s operational command wrote on X that the operation “has been completed” and that ground-based defense and reconnaissance systems had returned to normal.

Russia has said it didn’t target Poland on Wednesday, and Moscow’s ally, Belarus, said that the drones went astray because they were jammed. But European leaders have expressed certainty that the incursions were a deliberate provocation by Russia.

I'd say there are bigger threats to the world than Russian drones over Poland
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I'd say there are bigger threats to the world than Russian drones over Poland

I wouldn't downplay this. Poland has been tolerant but has now invoked article 4 (consultation, not article 5 collective defense), other NATO members such as Lithuania has been quite vocal. The russian drones shot down have been found containing polish and Lithuanian SIM cards (which facilitate navigation). We can speculated Russia's motives but the drones presence in these countries is not accidental.

It's easy to be blase if you're a long way from the action but there's only a small bit of land between Kaliningrad and Belarus and Latvia/Lithuania are cut off from Western Europe by land. You can't blame them for having squeaky bums.