Poland deployed its air defences with NATO support on Wednesday to intercept multiple drones that crossed into its airspace during a large-scale Russian assault on Ukraine, marking Warsaw’s first direct military action since the war began.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that several drones were shot down and said he was in “constant contact” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. He also convened an emergency council of ministers meeting for Thursday morning to review the crisis.
Poland’s military command reported that radar tracked more than 10 unidentified objects, with several neutralised after posing threats. Authorities warned residents in Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin regions to stay indoors, describing the incident as “an act of aggression that posed a real threat to citizens’ safety.”
The incursion forced Poland’s largest airport, Warsaw Chopin, to shut down airspace temporarily, while the US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed closures at three other airports, including Rzeszow–Jasionka — a key hub for arms shipments to Ukraine. Several flights were diverted to Katowice, Wroclaw, and Poznan.
Ukraine placed much of its territory under air raid alerts, with strikes reported in western regions bordering Poland. An earlier Ukrainian military warning that Russian drones threatened the Polish city of Zamosc was later retracted.
Russia’s defence ministry has not commented, but the incident has heightened NATO concerns about spillover from the conflict and the risk of escalation along the alliance’s eastern flank.
