WARSAW: Poland’s military engaged Russian drones that violated its airspace from Ukraine on Wednesday, marking the first direct engagement of Russian assets during the Ukraine conflict.
The military command confirmed that both Polish and NATO allied air defences were scrambled to neutralise the drone-type objects entering from Ukrainian territory.
“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation targeting objects on the territory of Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects,“ Poland’s military command stated.
An ongoing operation aims to identify and neutralise these objects with weapons already deployed and personnel locating downed equipment.
Authorities urged residents to remain indoors, specifically naming Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin regions as highest risk areas.
“The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the situation, and subordinate forces and units remain on full readiness for immediate response,“ the military added.
Poland closed four airports including Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, though Polish authorities haven’t officially confirmed these closures.
Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, a crucial hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine, was among the temporarily closed facilities.
Ukraine’s air force initially reported Russian drones entering NATO-member Poland’s airspace near Zamosc but later removed this statement from Telegram.
U.S. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin stated that repeated violations of NATO airspace demonstrate Vladimir Putin testing alliance resolve to protect Poland and Baltic nations.
“After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,“ Durbin posted on social media platform X.
Poland maintains high alert status since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern village in 2022, killing two people during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Most of Ukraine including western regions bordering Poland remained under air raid alerts for several hours as of 0220 GMT. – Reuters