UPDATE: Wednesday, Sep 10, 2025 · 2:03:38 PM +00:00
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Charles Jay
I will not be updating this story. I wrote it just to tone things down given that there was a rather alarmist diary at the top of the rec list that Russia was apparently attacking NATO.
In a speech to the Sejm, or parliament, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk put the right perspective on what is clearly a Russian provocation. He said:
"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".
To keep up on the situation, I recommend following the live reports on the BBC website about the latest developments,
There is a rather hysterical diary at the top of the trending list with the alarmist headline: “Putin has declared war on NATO; dozens of drones attacking Poland.”
This is very misleading. There is great concern but no sense of panic in Poland, and the government is taking the necessary precautions to ensure people’s safety.. I spent 10 years as a correspondent in Poland, and have reported on crisis situations.
I took a look at what Polish officials are saying and what is being reported in the media. Obviously, Russia has intensified its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, and this escalation has impacted Poland.
The situation is under control and military operations have concluded for now against the drone incursions.
Putin’s actions are likely to backfire because this act of aggression should to strengthen support for Ukraine in Poland and other European countries.
It’s uncertain how Donald Trump will react. Will he finally impose the tougher sanctions on Russia that he had kept delaying for two weeks at a time? U.S. troops are based in Poland, including U.S. F-16s.
Here is the latest update from the BBC:
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said the shooting down of Russian drones in Poland overnight was the first time this has happened in Nato territory.
Speaking ahead of an emergency government meeting, Tusk said Polish airspace was violated by a “huge” number of Russian drones.
He says that those which posed a threat were shot down by Polish and Nato pilots.
“This is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a Nato country. All our allies are taking the situation very seriously. We have not recorded any casualties,” he says.
He adds that it was probably a “large-scale provocation” by Russia.
Tusk says the search for drones is ongoing, but he adds there is no reason to panic and the situation is now under control.
He says he is in contact with Nato’s secretary-general.
The Polish armed forces has now ended its military operation launched by the drone violations.
Airports, including the main international airport, Warsaw Chopin, have been reopened.
Here is a statements from the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces issued earlier which states that Russia was carrying out strikes on targets in Ukraine by drone-type objects that flew over Polish airspace. Here is a translation of that statements.
Here is a statement posted on X by the Operational Command.
Attention, during today's attack by the Russian Federation carrying out strikes on objects located on the territory of Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects. An operation is underway to identify and neutralize the targets. At the behest of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, weapons have been deployed, and operations are underway to locate the downed targets. We emphasize that the military operation is ongoing and urge everyone to stay at home. The most at-risk areas are the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin Voivodeships. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces is monitoring the current situation, and its subordinate forces and resources remain fully prepared for immediate response.
The main Polish news agency, PAP, later had this report on Tuesday.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday the country's army should intercept drones breaching the airspace from the east, adding that the final decision lies with the Operational Command.
The comment came a day after debris from a drone bearing Cyrillic markings was found in the village of Polatycze, eastern Poland, overnight Sunday to Monday, about 300 metres from the Belarusian border. The incident followed a similar case in the same Lubelskie province, when drone rubble was discovered 50 kilometres from the country's border with war-gripped Ukraine last Saturday. Authorities said the first drone bore no military markings, the second was a smuggling one.
Furthermore, in August, a drone entered Poland from Belarus and blasted in the corn field of the Lubelskie province. Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the time that the object was most likely a Russian drone and described the incident as "a provocation by the Russian Federation."
Talking to a private broadcaster Radio Zet on Tuesday, Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the decision to down foreign drones requires "discernment and skill," noting that Poland, which borders an ongoing war, usually deals with armed, decoy, or smuggling drones. ...
He added that "This is an operational commander and the entire air defence system who have to decide on whether the (drone - PAP) interception causes greater or lesser damage to civilians."
He further addressed the locals of the towns and villages bordering countries on the east, pledging that the services will take all measures possible to ensure their safety amid Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Reuters said that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incursion by Russian drones “an act of aggression.”
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine on Wednesday, with the NATO member calling the incursion "an act of aggression" and marking the first time a member of the alliance has fired shots in the war.
Poland's airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones, and those that posed a direct threat were shot down, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. A NATO spokesperson said NATO chief Mark Rutte was in touch with Polish leadership and the alliance was consulting closely with Poland.
Poland's military command said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack across the border, in western Ukraine, but that operations against these violations had now concluded.
Radars tracked more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were "neutralised," the command said.
"Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing," it said in a statement. The command thanked NATO air command and the F-35 fighters of the Dutch air force for assistance.
And overnight from Tuesday/Wednesday, the Operational Command issued this statement:
The Operational Command said the Polish military’s operations had concluded, the BBC reported.
Writing on X, it said: "The operations of Polish and allied aviation related to violations of Polish airspace have concluded. The search and localization of possible impact sites of objects that violated Polish airspace are ongoing.”
“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. Such elements may pose a threat and contain hazardous materials. They must be thoroughly inspected by the appropriate services."
...
Here is the reaction from Ukraine’s foreign minister who is asking that air defense systems in neighboring countries intercept drones and missiles in Ukrainian airspace and that partners strengthen Ukraine’s air defense systems to protect against the threat of intensified Russian airstrikes.:
And the BBC reported on the reaction of Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called the Russian drones entering Polish airspace "an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe".
"The Russians must feel the consequences. Russia must feel that the war cannot be expanded and will have to be ended," he says.
"The pause in sanctions has gone on far too long," he says, adding "a strong response is needed" from Ukraine's allies.
