NATO member Poland shoots down Russian drones after ‘multiple’ airspace violations

WARSAW — NATO member Poland said it scrambled fighter aircraft and shot down Russian drones early Wednesday after they crossed into the country’s airspace from Ukraine.

Poland said the incursion, which forced the closure of Warsaw airport, involved a “dozen or so” drones, some of which it deemed could have posed “a threat.”

The drone wave into Poland is a significant escalation from an incident in August when a lone drone crashed 100 kilometers to the southwest of Warsaw.

The incident also comes at an especially sensitive time diplomatically, just as U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing whether there is any genuine prospect of a peace deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who is sticking to his war aims in Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a statement that a military operation took place overnight after “multiple violations of Polish airspace” and that “the military used armaments against the objects.”

Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said “Polish and allied radar systems tracked a dozen or so objects that violated the airspace” and that objects that could potentially “pose a threat” were shot down.

Shortly before 7.30 a.m., a spokesman for Poland’s air traffic control agency Pansa told the TVN24 network that airports in Warsaw, Modlin, and Rzeszów were about to resume normal operations. Lublin airport — in eastern Poland, near Ukraine — remains closed.

Poland’s armed forces had earlier said that the country’s airspace was “repeatedly violated by drone-type objects” during a Russian attack on targets in Ukraine, and that Poland’s air defenses had been moved to the “highest state of readiness.”

Polish and NATO military aircraft were deployed and an operation was launched “aimed at identifying and neutralizing the objects.” Military officials advised Poles to stay at home.

Separately, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice saying that Poland’s main international airport in Warsaw was closed due to “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security.”

Tusk said in his statement on X that he was in constant contact with Poland’s defense ministry and President Karol Nawrocki.

It was not clear how many drones had entered Polish airspace or been shot down.

This is a developing story.