Poland announced on Wednesday that it had activated its own air defenses and those of NATO to shoot down drones during a Russian airstrike on western Ukraine—marking the first time since the war began that Warsaw has engaged militarily in its own airspace.
Poland’s military command stated that drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack across the border in Ukraine, while the Defense Minister confirmed that NATO command had been informed.
Radar tracked more than 10 objects, and those posing a threat were “neutralized,” according to the statement, Reuters reports.
“Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down. Searches and efforts are ongoing to locate possible crash sites of these objects,” the military emphasized.
The military operation remains underway, and citizens have been urged to stay indoors, especially in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin regions, considered the most at risk.
Poland’s army labeled the airspace violation as an “act of aggression,” while Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Polish fighter jets “used weapons against hostile objects.” He added, “We are in constant contact with NATO command,” in a post on X.
Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, the country’s largest, announced that airspace was closed due to military operations.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said earlier that Chopin was one of four Polish airports temporarily closed, including Rzeszow–Jasionka Airport in the southeast, a key hub for travelers and weapons transfers to Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was briefed on the incident, according to CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins. The State Department has not yet issued an official comment.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
