Putin's drones that invaded Poland followed “a direct route to the NATO base that supplies Ukraine”
The serious incident spent on Wednesday morning in Poland's airspace brought to attention the fragility of the eastern NATO border. Several drones launched from Russia were intercepted by the Polish anti-aircraft defense, some of them being on a direct trajectory to an essential logistics base for military support granted to Ukraine.
Russian drone downed in Poland/Photo: X
Sources quoted by the German daily Die Welt, including a high-ranking officer within the North Atlantic Alliance, confirmed that at least five of the drones entered in the Polish airspace followed a clear route to a military installation in the northeast of the country, used for equipment transport to Kiev.
According to officials, the incident would have marked the first direct confrontation between NATO and Russian forces since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, in February 2022.
Prompt reaction and request to activate article 4
After identifying the drones, the Polish authorities activated the air defense procedures, in coordination with the NATO partners. Four devices were shot down by fighter jets from Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and the US, and seven others were later found on the Polish territory.
Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk has qualified the situation as “the most dangerous approach to a major military conflict from Poland from World War II.”
Warsaw has requested urgent consultations based on Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which provides discussions between allies if a Member State considers that its territorial integrity, political independence or security are threatened.
In a public reaction, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the Alliance is “united and determined to defend every centimeter of alloy territory.”
A test for Western unity
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said that Russia's action represents “a test of the reaction of the West”, especially in the context of intensifying attacks on energy infrastructure and Ukraine's supply lines, as winter is approaching.
“It is an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe. The answer must be a common one – of Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans and the United States,Zelenski said.
The British Defense Minister John Healey qualified the incident as “unsuspecting, dangerous and unprecedented” and announced that he has requested the evaluation of NATO air defense options in Poland. Currently, about 300 British soldiers are already dislocated in this country for air surveillance missions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reacted firmly, saying that violating the NATO air space represents “a flagrant challenge of peace”, while also transmitting the support of his government to the Warsaw authorities.
“Sincere thanks to the NATO and Polish forces who intervened quickly to defend the Alliance,” Starmer said in a public message.
Moscow denies involvement
The Kremlin denied any involvement, and the spokesmen of the Russian Defense Ministry suggested, without evidence, that the drones could have been launched by the Ukrainian side. This rhetoric has been qualified by Western officials as an attempt to confuse public opinion and to dilute responsibility for the incident.
Despite the negations, more and more voices among NATO allies point out that Moscow could use these episodes to test the reaction capacity and political cohesion.
