Poland deploys jets after drone activity near Ukraine border
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The Polish military said the jet deployments were "preventive" steps
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk holds an extraordinary government meeting at the chancellery, with military and emergency services officials, following alleged violations of Polish airspace during a Russian attack, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Sept 10, 2025 (Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland via AP)
Poland’s armed forces deployed fighter jets and raised air defense readiness on Saturday following reports of drone activity near its border with Ukraine. The country’s Operational Command confirmed that both Polish and allied aircraft were patrolling its skies, supported by radar reconnaissance systems and ground-based defenses at maximum alert.
Officials described the measures as "preventive," stressing that the steps were aimed at securing national airspace and protecting citizens in regions adjacent to the border.
Earlier in the week, the Polish military announced it had intercepted and destroyed several drones that allegedly violated national airspace. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the downed drones were "Russian," claiming they posed a danger to Poland, though he offered no evidence to support the assertion.
Russia’s charge d’affaires in Warsaw, Andrey Ordash, told RIA Novosti that Poland had failed to provide proof of the drones’ origin.
The drone incidents came just days after Belarusian First Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Muraveiko reported that Minsk had alerted both Poland and Lithuania about drone movements near their borders. Warsaw, in turn, informed Minsk that drones had crossed from Ukrainian territory.
Russia denies targeting Poland
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed it carried out large-scale strikes this week on Ukrainian defense industry facilities in the Ivano-Frankovsk, Khmelnitsky, and Zhitomir regions. However, the ministry denied launching any operations targeting Poland, emphasizing that the drones used in the strikes had a limited flight range and could not have reached Polish territory.
The incidents come as Poland grows increasingly wary of Russian and Belarusian military activities. On September 10, Warsaw invoked NATO Article 4 after reporting multiple drone violations, marking the eighth such invocation in the alliance’s history.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that weapons had been used to down "hostile objects," in what became the first direct aerial engagement by a NATO member during the conflict.
Poland has also stationed 40,000 troops along its eastern border in response to the Zapad 2025 exercises, large-scale Russian-Belarusian drills launched on September 13.
The exercises, which involve nuclear planning scenarios, have been described by Belarusian officials as part of their "strategic deterrence policy," while Prime Minister Tusk warned that Europe was "closer to open conflict than at any point since World War Two."
Political tensions in Eastern Europe
Beyond military tensions, political frictions between Poland, Ukraine, and Russia have deepened. Warsaw recently closed its border with Belarus, citing security concerns tied to the ongoing drills. Meanwhile, disputes with Ukraine over trade and transport continue, with Polish farmers and truckers staging blockades against Ukrainian imports.
Relations between Poland and Russia remain frozen, with little diplomatic engagement since Warsaw expelled Russian diplomats in 2022.
