Poland has restricted flights near its borders with Belarus and Ukraine for three months, starting Sept. 10, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said. The restrictions will last until Dec. 9.
Civilian drones are banned in the area at all times. At night, only military aircraft may fly there, while daytime flights require prior approval from Polish authorities. Emergency and disaster-relief flights are exempt.
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
The measures were ordered by Poland’s Armed Forces to “ensure national security,” the agency said.
The airspace restrictions cover the eastern part of Poland and may affect airports in the region, including Rzeszów–Jasionka. As of Thursday, Sept. 11, there have been no reports of any commercial flight restriction from the airport.
While commercial flights at major airports are generally allowed if authorities are notified, the zone imposes strict limits on civilian drones and uncoordinated flights.
Caption: One applicable NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) with the airspace restriction. (Screen capture from Reddit)
The move follows an overnight drone incursion on Sept. 10, when around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace – 48 hours before the scheduled start of a provocative Russo-Belarusian military exercise Zapad-2025.
Other Topics of Interest
Where Russian Drone Debris Was Found Around Poland
By Wednesday evening, police and emergency services had confirmed the discovery of debris from 16 drones and the remains of a missile in several regions of the country.
Polish F-16CJ and Dutch F-35A fighters that were in alert status on the ground were launched to intercept the drones, shooting some down while others crashed inside Poland. After the incident, Warsaw asked NATO allies for additional air defense and counter-drone support.
Poland also plans to close its border with Belarus on the night of Sept. 12 ahead of provocative Russo-Belarusian military exercises, “Zapad-2025,” which will run from Sept. 12–16 in Belarus.
Russian and Belarusian troops are set to jointly practice firing nuclear weapon-tipped medium-range ballistic missiles from Belarus launch sites at targets in Europe. Zapad is Russian for West.
Most of the troops taking part in the exercise, known as Zapad-2025, will train with both offensive and defensive nuclear operations in central and northwestern Belarus, as well as in Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave.
Smaller units from Russia’s Moscow and Leningrad military districts, the Arctic, and the Baltic and Barents Seas will also participate, according to Kremlin statements.
Official reports from Minsk say about 13,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers will be stationed in Belarus for the exercises.
Russia announced it was deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus in June 2023, citing western deliveries of long-range conventional weapons to Ukraine as justification. By midday Wednesday, no actual missile launches had been announced for the two-week exercises.