At least three Russian drones were shot down by Nato and Polish aircraft in Poland’s airspace during overnight attacks on Ukraine, the Polish prime minister has said.
Donald Tusk told MPs that Poland had recorded 19 drone incursions, with some flying deep enough to temporarily close four airports, including Warsaw’s main hub Chopin.
Jets were scrambled in response to what Tusk described as a “provocation”.
The incident marks the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO member since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia declined to comment, while Ukraine’s foreign minister said the incident showed “Putin continues to escalate, expands the war”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow: “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 temporary charge d’affaires in Poland said Warsaw had not provided evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.
Polish authorities have no information suggesting anyone was injured or died “as a result of the Russian action”, Tusk told Poland’s Parliament.
“The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation,” 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”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow: “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 temporary charge d’affaires in Poland said Warsaw had not provided evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.
Polish authorities have no information suggesting anyone was injured or died “as a result of the Russian action”, Tusk told Poland’s Parliament.
“The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation,” 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”.
(BBC)
