Poland’s military scrambled its fighter jets on Wednesday to shoot down several Russian drones that had entered its airspace during an overnight attack on western Ukraine, the first known instance of a NATO country firing shots since Russia’s full-scale invasion, The Moscow Times informs.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at an emergency government meeting later in the day that 19 “objects” had violated Polish airspace, while three drones that were believed to pose a threat were shot down.
Tusk said Poland asked to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which initiates consultations with other members of the military bloc and can potentially lead to some form of joint decision or action on behalf of NATO.
“The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation. Therefore, allied consultations took the form of a formal request to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Article 4 was last invoked by several NATO members days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Before Wednesday, the article had been invoked only seven times since the military bloc was founded in 1949.
There were no reports of any injuries or deaths in Poland, but unverified photos shared on social media showed what was said to be damage caused to a house after drone debris fell onto it. Poland temporarily closed part of its airspace during the incident, halting flights from Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport.
“This act of aggression posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens,” the Polish military’s operational command said in a statement, calling the airspace violation “unprecedented.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Dutch fighter jets provided support during the shootdown operation.
There was no immediate response from the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russia unleashed a wave of strikes across Ukraine overnight, including in the western city of Lviv, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Polish border.
Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, said its air defense forces had tracked and shot down several drones that “lost their course as a result of electronic warfare measures” during an overnight exchange of air attacks between Russia and Ukraine.
In a video statement, Belarusian Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko said Minsk shared radar data with Poland and Lithuania that “allowed the Polish side to respond quickly by scrambling its aircraft.” According to Muraveiko, Poland, in turn, informed Belarus of drones approaching its border.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the episode showed that a lack of a strong international response against previous Russian attacks had emboldened President Vladimir Putin.
“The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets,” Sybiga said. “A weak response now will provoke Russia even more — and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe.”
The incident came a day after Polish President Karol Nawrocki warned at an event in Finland that Putin was ready to invade more countries beyond Ukraine.
Poland, a NATO member and one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees and serves as a critical transit hub for Western humanitarian and military aid.
The country has reported previous airspace violations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Last month, a Russian drone exploded in farmland in eastern Poland, an incident Warsaw described as a “provocation.” In 2023, a Russian missile briefly crossed into Poland before striking Ukraine.
AFP contributed reporting.