Poland shot down unmanned Russian Shahed drones that had repeatedly violated its airspace during an attack on Ukraine, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. The response was the first time the Polish Air Force had engaged Russian aircraft in its airspace.
“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 wrote on X. While unofficial sources pointed to at least three drones that were shot down, neither NATO nor the Polish Ministry of Defense has confirmed the total number of drones or reported interceptions.
The move came after Poland closed four airports, including the major Chopin airport in Warsaw and the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in the southeast portion of the country, which serves as a hub for weapons and personnel transfers to Ukraine.
Poland’s military command urged people to stay home during the operation, giving special warning to those in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lublin regions.
“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 said.
At around 1:13 a.m. on Sept. 10, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that the Russian army had launched several groups of Shahed strike drones.
Shahed drones are unmanned aircraft that are manufactured by both Russia and Iran. They are used as loitering munitions, or exploding kamikaze drones.
“Drones detected in Poland, heading west toward the city of Zamość,” the Air Force reported. Monitoring channels indicated that Poland had scrambled F-16 fighters to intercept the drones.
Sen. Dick Durbin said the repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones represented a calculated threat from Russian leadership.
“Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations,” he wrote on Tuesday night. “After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored.”
The Polish attack on Russian drones came just days after Russia launched its most severe attack on Ukraine since its invasion in 2022.
Russia’s assault on Sunday involved more than 800 drones and decoys and occurred as months of U.S.-led peace efforts appear to be getting nowhere, according to The Associated Press. Four people were killed, including a mother and her infant, as drones hit apartment buildings. A plume of smoke rose from the capital’s main government building, where top officials have their offices.
It’s believed to be the first time a Russian attack has struck the 10-story, Soviet-style building, which was built almost a century ago and has an imposing half-circle facade.