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Poland has shot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, prime minister Donald Tusk has said, marking the first time in the Ukraine war that Warsaw has engaged Russian assets in its airspace.
“An operation is underway related to the repeated violation of Polish airspace,” Tusk wrote on X early on Wednesday. “The military has used weaponry against the objects.” He said he was in “constant contact” with President Karol Nawrocki and the operational commander.
The announcement came after Poland closed airports and the army said it had launched an operation “to neutralise” objects that crossed over its border.
“At the request of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed targets,” Poland’s military command said in a post on X earlier.
It said the military operation was ongoing and urged people to stay at home, naming the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin as most at risk.
“The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the situation, and subordinate forces and units remain on full readiness for immediate response,” it added.
Four airports, including the major Chopin airport in Warsaw, were closed according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, while the country’s armed forces said that military aircraft had been activated to ensure airspace safety. There was no official confirmation from the command that any airports had been closed.
Deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk said in a post on X that an operation had been launched “to neutralize objects that have violated and exceeded the border of the Republic of Poland” and that “we ask you to follow the announcements of the Polish army and the police.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration said the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland’s southeast, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine, was among the airports that had been temporarily closed.
Earlier, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland’s airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but it subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.
In the United States, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said repeated violations of Nato airspace by Russian drones were a sign that “Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.“
“After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” he said on X.
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, a few months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But there have been no reports of Polish or allied defence systems destroying drones.
As of 0120 GMT, most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland, had been under air raid alerts for several hours, according to Ukraine’s air force.
With Reuters
