Russia’s Drones Breach Polish Airspace, NATO Scrambles Jets

Lead NATO fighter jets and Polish air defenses intercepted at least 19 Russian drones over southeastern Poland on Sept. 10, marking the first time a NATO member shot down Moscow’s unmanned aerial vehicles in its own airspace.

Nut Graf The unprecedented incursion, centred on the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport-an essential logistics hub for Ukraine aid-prompted Poland to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, underlining growing unease among alliance members over spillover from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Main Part Polish and NATO aircraft downed three to four drones that posed an immediate threat, while debris from several others was later found across eastern provinces. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk labelled the episode “a large-scale provocation” intended to test NATO’s readiness and resolve.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised the swift defensive response, noting that allied air policing procedures functioned as designed.
• Poland has called an emergency session of the UN Security Council for Sept. 12 to discuss the breaches.
• A senior NATO official and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius asserted that the drones’ flight paths were deliberate, ruling out navigational error and emphasising Moscow’s responsibility.
• Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any intention to target Polish territory, insisting the UAV strike was aimed solely at western Ukraine and offering to consult with Warsaw on the matter.
• In solidarity, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic pledged to send additional air defence systems and troops to bolster Poland’s eastern flank.
• The incident has reignited debates within NATO on strengthening unmanned aerial vehicle defences and expanding collective deterrence measures along the alliance’s eastern borders.