The Polish Armed Forces General Staff has confirmed the launch of Operation Eastern Shield, a joint NATO effort to strengthen security on the alliance’s eastern flank following the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish territory.
As part of the operation, a video was released showing a French A400 transport aircraft landing at Minsk Mazowiecki Airport, carrying weapons for Rafale fighter jets, which are now deployed in Poland.
The incident prompting NATO’s response involved the entry of 19 drones into Polish airspace, some of which were shot down while others fell into fields and one house in the eastern part of the country. Warsaw described the incursion as deliberate, while Moscow downplayed the event, denying any plan to target objectives in Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated, “This is the closest we have come to an open conflict since World War II,” emphasizing the extreme seriousness of the situation for the entire region.
This marks the first time NATO has activated a military operation in response to such an incident on the territory of a member state since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
