At least three Russian drones were shot down by Nato and Polish aircraft after entering Poland’s airspace during overnight strikes on Ukraine, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has confirmed.
Speaking to lawmakers, Tusk said Poland had recorded 19 incursions, with some drones flying far enough to force the temporary closure of four airports, including Warsaw’s Chopin Airport. Jets were scrambled to intercept the aircraft in what Tusk described as a “provocation”.
The incident marks the first time Russian drones have been brought down over a Nato member’s territory since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia declined to comment, while Ukraine’s foreign minister said the events showed “Putin continues to escalate, expands the war”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “We wouldn’t like to comment on this. This is not for us to do so. It’s the prerogative of the Defence Ministry [to answer].”
Russia’s envoy in Poland insisted Warsaw had provided no proof of the drones’ origin. Tusk, however, told Parliament that no injuries or deaths had been reported “as a result of the Russian action”.
He added: “The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation.”
“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”.
Authorities said seven drones and the remains of an unidentified object were recovered across the country. Interior ministry spokeswoman Karolina Galecka said five drones and the object were found in Lublin province, which borders Belarus and Ukraine.
Two others were discovered deeper inside the country, including one in Mniszków, 250 km from the Belarusian border, and another near Elbląg in northern Poland.
Tusk convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday and asked to invoke Article 4 of the Nato treaty, which triggers urgent consultations among allies. Poland is a Nato member, tied to the US and European nations through collective defence.
Tusk and Polish President Karol Nawrocki said they were in “regular contact” with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who praised a “very successful reaction”.
Nawrocki posted on X: “The security of our homeland is our highest priority and requires close cooperation.” Rutte said the situation was under investigation and condemned Russia’s “reckless behaviour”.
Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, claimed the drones had strayed into Polish airspace by accident after their navigation systems were jammed. Poland’s Armed Forces said the aircraft had been tracked by radar from both Polish and Nato jets.
“As a result of the attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects,” the military said. “Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing.”
Although the operation ended, the military urged residents in Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lublin to stay indoors. “With the safety of citizens in mind, we urge that in the event of observing an unknown object or its debris, do not approach, touch, or move it,” officials wrote on X.
“Such elements may pose a threat and contain hazardous materials. They must be thoroughly inspected by the appropriate services.” The military also thanked Nato’s Air Command and the Netherlands for deploying F-35 jets.
The drone incursions forced hours-long closures at Warsaw’s Chopin and Modlin airports, along with Rzeszów–Jasionka and Lublin.
Several flights bound for Chopin were diverted to other Polish cities including Gdansk, Katowice, Wroclaw and Poznan, as well as Copenhagen. Chopin Airport later warned delays and disruptions would continue throughout the day.
The drones over Poland were part of a wider assault on Ukraine, where officials reported more than 400 drones and 42 cruise missiles were launched just before midnight, with bombardment lasting all night.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe”. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on Telegram that Putin is “testing the West”.
“The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets. A weak response now will provoke Russia even more – and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe.”
