WARSAW — Early Wednesday, Poland sent military jets to patrol its airspace and closed its main international airport in Warsaw, the capital, after allegations that Russian strike drones had entered into Polish territory from Ukraine. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States sent out a Notice to Airmen, or Notam, saying that the area was closed because of “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security.”
The Polish military acknowledged the increased alert level by posting on X (previously Twitter) that “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems are at their highest state of readiness.” Reports in the media said that Polish and NATO jets were sent to stop Russian Shahed drones that had supposedly crossed into Polish airspace.
The event happened while Russia was attacking Ukraine’s western territories near the Polish border in a big way overnight. Poland’s Operational Command said that “drone-type objects” have “repeatedly violated” its airspace. The command also said that an effort was going on to “identify and neutralize” the objects and that weaponry had been used to find the downed targets. At first, Ukrainian news outlets said that Russian drones were on their way to the Polish cities of Zamosc and Rzeszow. However, the Ukrainian Air Force eventually took down their message from its Telegram channel.
The situation shows that there is still a chance that the war in Ukraine could spread to NATO territory. Poland is a crucial NATO member on the eastern side of the alliance and has been a strong defender of Kyiv. Its border with Belarus, a key Russian ally, has been a focus of geopolitical friction.
This most recent event comes after a scare last month when a military drone crashed and blew up in eastern Poland. The Polish defense minister then accused Russia of orchestrating a provocation.