Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack on western Ukraine on Wednesday, in a move the NATO ally called an "act of aggression."
The agency previously reported that Poland today activated its own and NATO air defenses to shoot down drones in its airspace after a Russian airstrike on Ukraine, which it added marked the first time Warsaw had directly intervened in a war in a neighboring country, calling the violation of its skies an act of aggression.
A drone hit a residential building in the town of Wiryki in eastern Poland, but no one was injured, private television Polsat News reported, citing local police, Reuters reports.
The local prosecutor's office said parts of the drone were found near a cemetery in the town of Cieszniki in southeastern Poland, Reuters reports.
The prosecution added that according to the findings so far, no one was injured.
Poland said 19 objects entered its airspace during a major Russian airstrike on Ukraine, and that it shot down those that posed a threat.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had activated Article 4 of the NATO treaty, under which alliance members can request consultations with their allies.
DON'T MISS IT
"We are facing a large-scale provocation. We are ready to reject such provocations. The situation is serious and no one doubts that we must be prepared for different scenarios," Tusk said.
Russia's state news agency RIA quoted a Russian diplomat as calling the allegations of an incursion "unfounded" and saying Poland had not provided any evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.
Several European officials described the incursion as deliberate and a sign of Russian escalation.
"The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation," Tusk said.
Tusk earlier announced on the social network X that Polish airspace was violated by a large number of Russian drones last night, Reuters reported.
He then added that drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.
Tusk also stated earlier today that operations are still ongoing and that he is in "constant contact" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Tusk earlier called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers for eight in the morning.
Reuters reported that, according to sources, the night operation involved Polish F-16 fighters, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance aircraft and aerial refueling aircraft jointly operated by NATO.
Poland's military command said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during a Russian attack across the border in western Ukraine, but that operations against those violations have now ended.
Radars tracked more than a dozen objects, and those that could pose a threat were "neutralized," the command said.
"Some of the drones that entered our airspace have been shot down. Searches and efforts are underway to locate possible crash sites of these objects," the statement said.
Citizens have been urged to stay at home, and the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lublin have been designated as the most at risk.
"This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the security of our citizens," the statement said.
Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Beta news agency reports that the Polish military responded to a Russian drone incursion during a major nighttime attack on Ukraine and shot down several drones that violated its airspace, and that police said the remains of one drone were found.
Beta also reports that the Territorial Defense and police have begun searching for the remains of the downed drones, and that police in Lublin in eastern Poland announced this morning that the remains of one had been found.
Minister of Defense, Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Košnjak-Kamiš has cut short his visit to London and is urgently returning to the country.
"An operation to neutralize objects that have violated the borders is underway in Poland. Planes have shot down several drones. Territorial defense has been activated to find the remains of the downed drones. If you come across their remains, please do not approach them but inform the police," Minister Košnjak-Kamiš appealed.
Polish Energy Minister Milos Motika said, as reported by Reuters, that there were no "incidents" related to energy infrastructure after the violations of Polish airspace.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been notified, CNN's Caitlin Collins reported. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US Air Force General Alexus Grinkiewicz, NATO's top military commander, said NATO was in close contact with Poland and other allies about drones that entered Polish airspace during Russia's attack on western Ukraine, Reuters reported.
A NATO spokesman added that this was the first time their aircraft had responded to potential threats in allied airspace.
A NATO source previously told Reuters that the alliance does not treat the drone incursion into Polish territory as an attack.
The airspace over Warsaw Chopin Airport, the country's largest, has reopened, the airport in Iksz said, adding that disruptions and delays could continue throughout the day.
Chopin Airport previously announced that its airspace was closed due to military operations, after drones entered Polish airspace during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Data from the Flightradar24 website showed earlier that several flights, which were scheduled to land at Chopin early this morning, were diverted to airports in Katowice, Wroclaw and Poznan.
Poland has resumed air operations at airports in Warsaw, Modlin and Rzeszow, while Lublin airport remains temporarily closed, a spokesman for the Polish Air Traffic Control Agency (PAZP) told private television TVN24, Reuters reports.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier said Chopin was one of four Polish airports temporarily closed, including Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in the southeast, a hub for passenger and military transport to Ukraine.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has decided to convene a meeting of the National Security Council within 48 hours after Poland shot down Russian drones that entered its airspace, Reuters reports.
"...the news that we will have full information about what happened in Poland within 48 hours led me to the decision to convene the National Security Council within 48 hours," said Nawrocki, adding that the situation is unprecedented in the history of NATO and Poland.
Much of Ukraine, including the western regions of Volyn and Lviv bordering Poland, was under alert for almost the entire night, the Ukrainian military said.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian drones had entered the airspace of NATO member Poland and posed a threat to the city of Zamosc, but the post was quickly removed from Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least eight drones were directed towards Poland during Russian nighttime attacks that used a total of about 415 drones and more than 40 missiles.
"Today, another step in the escalation was taken - Russian-Iranian 'martyrs' operated in Polish airspace, in NATO airspace. It was not just one 'martyr' that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed at Poland," Zelensky wrote on X.
Reuters also reports that the Kiev military administration said on the Telegram app that Ukrainian air defense units were trying to repel a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital early this morning.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, there have been multiple incidents of Russian drones entering the airspace of countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland and Romania, but have so far avoided being shot down.
Officials cited the physical danger such actions could pose as well as a desire to avoid escalating tensions between Russia and NATO.
"Act of War"
In the United States (US), Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones show that Russian President "Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic states."
"After the carnage that Putin continues to perpetrate in Ukraine, we must not ignore these incursions," wrote X online.
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on X that Russia was "attacking NATO ally Poland" with drones, calling it an "act of war."
Wilson called on US President Donald Trump to respond with sanctions "that will destroy the Russian war machine".
"It is no longer enough for Putin to lose in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve on NATO territory," he said.
Trump, who warmly hosted Putin in the US for a summit in August, said last weekend that he was ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia, after months of unsuccessful talks on a peace agreement.
It was his strongest indication yet that he might step up pressure on Moscow or its oil buyers in response to the war in Ukraine.
The European Union's top sanctions official was in Washington on Monday to discuss the first coordinated transatlantic measures against Russia since Trump returned to power in January, vowing to "end the war in 24 hours."
Additional security context
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile hit a southern village in 2022, killing two people, months after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, there have been no reports so far of Polish or allied defense systems shooting down drones.
Poland previously announced that it would close its border with Belarus at midnight on Thursday, due to Russian-led military exercises taking place there.
Large-scale Russian-Belarusian military exercises, known as the "Zapad" maneuvers, have caused concern in neighboring NATO members - Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Lithuania has announced that it will strengthen defenses along its border with Belarus and Russia due to these exercises.
Ben Hodges, former commander of US forces in Europe, said the number of Russian drones entering NATO airspace "clearly demonstrates that these are deliberate tests of NATO and national defense and early warning systems."
"We need to be able to respond effectively, every time," Hodges told Reuters, adding: "We could certainly do more."
Siibiha: Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war and testing the West
Ukraine's foreign minister said today that Russian drones flying into Poland during the attack on Ukraine demonstrate Russian President Vladimir Putin's impunity and his expansion of the war.
"Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war and testing the West," Andriy Sibikha wrote on the X network.
"This situation shows that a decision should finally be made to allow partners to use air defense capabilities in neighboring countries to intercept drones and missiles in Ukrainian airspace, including those approaching NATO borders," he said.
Belarus: We shot down some drones that went astray due to electronic jamming
Belarus said on Monday it had shot down some drones that had strayed due to electronic jamming during an exchange of fire between Russia and Ukraine, and that Minsk had notified Poland and Lithuania of the drones' approach, Reuters reported.
The statement by the Chief of the General Staff of Belarus, Major General Pavel Muravejko, did not specify whose drones had strayed.
"During the nightly exchange of drone strikes between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the air defense forces and assets of the Republic of Belarus continuously tracked UAVs that lost their trajectory as a result of the electronic warfare actions of the parties to the conflict," Muraveyko said in a statement issued in English.
"Some of the stray drones were destroyed by our air defense forces over the territory of the republic," he said.
He said that Poland and Lithuania had been notified of the drones' approach.
Macron: Drone incursion into Polish airspace during Russian attack on western Ukraine 'simply unacceptable'
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that drone incursions into Polish airspace during Russia's offensive in western Ukraine were "simply unacceptable," adding that he would soon speak with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Reuters reported.
"We will not compromise when it comes to the security of our allies," Macron wrote on the social network X.
Bonus video:
