Russian drones in NATO airspace shot down

Poland’s prime minister confirmed on Wednesday that Polish and NATO forces shot down multiple Russian drones that violated Poland’s airspace during Russian attacks against Ukraine.

In a Wednesday statement on X, formerly Twitter, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote, “Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.”

The BBC reported that Tusk confirmed that Poland documented 19 drone incursions on Wednesday, with some of the Russian drone incursions resulting in airports being temporarily closed. The outlet noted that Polish and NATO aircraft shot down at least three of the Russian drones.

In another statement on social media, Tusk congratulated the Polish Operational Command and NATO pilots for shooting down the Russian drones that violated Poland’s airspace.

According to the BBC, Wednesday’s incident is the first time a NATO member has shot down Russian drones over its territory since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation,” Tusk told the Polish parliament. “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before. This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two.”

Following the incident with the Russian drones, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha issued a statement on social media claiming that the Russian drones were in Poland’s airspace as part of a “massive attack” against Ukraine.

“Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West,” Sybiha tweeted. “The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) described the Russian drone incursions in Poland as “an act of war” and called for President Donald Trump to implement new sanctions against Russia and provide Ukraine with additional weapons to target Russia.

“Putin is no longer content just losing in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve in NATO territory,” Wilson stated.

While Russian officials did not directly address accusations that its drones were shot down in Poland’s airspace, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said, “The leadership of the EU and NATO accuse Russia of provocations on a daily basis. Most of the time, without even trying to present at least some kind of argument.”