WARSAW: Poland’s military said Wednesday it shot down drones that crossed into its territory during a Russian strike on Ukraine, prompting temporary shutdowns at key airports.
“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation on targets in Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects. An operation is underway to identify and neutralise these objects,” Poland’s Operational Command said in a post on X.
Ukraine’s air force had earlier reported that Russian drones entered NATO-member Poland’s airspace, posing a threat to the southeastern city of Zamosc. The statement was later deleted from the air force’s Telegram channel.
The incident follows a stark warning from Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who on Tuesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin could seek to expand aggression beyond Ukraine. “We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions,” Nawrocki told reporters in Helsinki alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Poland, a frontline NATO state and one of Ukraine’s strongest backers, hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees and serves as a critical transit hub for Western military and humanitarian aid.
