Poland requested a consultation to NATO powers after demolish drones that crossed their territory During Russia’s last massive air attack against Ukraine, qualifying the incursion of “act of aggression.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the violation of airspace in the early hours of Wednesday constituted an intentional provocation of Moscow, forcing the Member State of NATO and the European Union to close their airspace and order citizens in the eastern part of the country to remain in their homes.
The general secretary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mark Rutte, denounced “Russia’s reckless behavior” And he confirmed that the alliance discussed the incident after Poland invoked article 4 of the Alliance Treaty, which triggers consultations and can open a path for a coordinated action among the allies.
“There is no reason to affirm that we are at war,” Tusk said in a Parliament session in Warsaw. “However, there is no doubt that this provocation exceeds the above limits and is incomparably more dangerous for Poland than all the previous ones.”
The Polish authorities registered 19 airspace violations, with a “significant” number of drones originated in Belarusian territory, Tusk said. High officials of the European Union were sympathized with Poland, including the president of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her speech on the State of the Union in Brussels. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that “there are indications that she was intentionally, not accidental.”
Any additional action of NATO would require consensus, including the support of US President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with conversations. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments on events.
“What is clear is that last night’s rape is not an isolated incident,” said Routte To the press, adding that the authorities were evaluating the incursion. “Whether intentional or not, it was absolutely reckless.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said their forces did not attacked goals in Poland, according to a statement on Telegram. The night attack went against Ukrainian defense plants, the ministry said, but added that it was “willing to keep consultations on this issue with the Polish Ministry of Defense.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the drones were “clearly armed with ammunition” and added that “something could have happened.” The allies will evaluate the situation and determine if additional measures are required at the military level given the growing audacity of Russia, according to people familiar with the matter they asked not to be identified. They added that the allies expected more details from Poland.
The Polish Zloty fell 0.5% compared to the euro, the largest daily fall since the end of July and the worst performance between the currency of Eastern Europe on Wednesday. Warsaw’s Wig20 index came to fall 2.6% in the first operations and dollar bonds in the country also fell.
It is the first time that a NATO member demolishes a military plane that was lost in its airspace from the beginning of the large -scale invasion of Russia to neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. The country has regularly deployed its military airplanes during the air attacks in Moscow, which have recently become more intense and lethal.
There were no victims in the incursion, said Tusk, and added that airports, including the main one in Warsaw, were resuming their operations. The remains of a drone hit a house in the village of Wyryki Wola, in East of Poland, less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the border with Belarus, Polsat News reported. Efforts are being made to locate the places where drones crashed, according to the Polish army.
Russia launched around 415 drones of various types and more than 40 cruise and ballistic missiles against 15 Ukraine regions during the night, said Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, in an X publication. Russia’s temporary businesses, Andrey Ordash, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland after the incursion, Ria Novosti reported, citing the diplomat.
The incursion of the drone caused the closure of the airspace in some areas of the country, including the main Warsaw International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, FAA, declared in a notice the aviators that the airport was affected by an “unplanned military activity related to state security.”
Previously, the Polish army urged citizens to remain in their homes during operation. The eastern regions of Podlaquia, Mazovia and Lublin, close to Ukraine and Belarus, were the most threatened, according to the report. The Army is looking for traces of demolished drones and said that the incursion represented a real threat to citizens.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense said their forces tracked drones that deviated from their course due to signal interference and informed the Polish and Lithuanian authoritiesaccording to a statement on Telegram.
Poland is found on the NATO eastern flank, border with Belarus, a key ally of Russia, and Ukraine, devastated by war. The Warsaw Government has firmly supported Ukraine efforts to defend against Russian invasion. Last month, the Polish Defense Minister accused Russia of causing a war after a military drone crashed and exploded in the east of the country.
In November 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian large -scale invasion of Ukraine, a lost missile killed two people in the Polish village of Przewodow. That incident was later attributed to the Ukrainian forces attempted to knock down dozens of Russian rockets.
“It is evident that Russian aggression represents a danger to all independent nations of our region and, therefore, only a joint and coordinated action can guarantee reliable security,” Zelenski said in an X publication. “Russia must feel that the response to this escalation, and even more to an attempt to humiliate one of the key countries in Europe, will be clear and forceful by all partners.”
