News/Commentary

Russian drones cross into Poland, NATO scrambles jets

September 10, 2025 | | Print Article

A violation of sovereign airspace was seen as a potential “large-scale provocation” after one European nation shot down multiple Russian drones.

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing to participate in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the ongoing war with Ukraine appeared to spill into NATO territory. As such, citizens across Poland were reportedly warned to “STAY HOME” after the nation’s military shot down a number of Russian drones that had allegedly entered their airspace without authorization.

Wednesday morning, fighter jets were scrambled over Poland as NATO Air Command and the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force acted to support the allied nation when numerous objects, believed to be drones, crossed into Polish airspace amid an attack on Ukraine.

Journalist Nick Sortor shared video of the fiery wreckage of one of the objects shot down that included the sounds of fighter jets and wrote, “The Polish government is warning 8.5 million Poles to ‘STAY HOME’ after the Polish military shot down alleged Russian drones which invaded their airspace … ‘The operation is still ongoing,’ the Polish military says …”

In their own statement on the incident, Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland detailed, “As a result of an attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects. This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”

The statement went on to explain that those objects that appeared to pose a threat were neutralized and that forces were prepared to take further action if necessary.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ruben Brekelmans, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, posted to X that, “Dutch F-35s have intercepted Russian drones over Poland. Within the NATO framework, our F-35s make a significant contribution to the [defense] of our collective security. This is precisely what we stand ready to do. This is how we keep the escalating Russian threat at a distance.”

“My thanks and congratulations to the Polish Operational Command and our NATO pilots for shooting down Russian drones over Poland. Actions speak louder than words,” expressed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had said after an emergency meeting of Poland’s National Security Bureau, “We are most likely dealing with a large-scale provocation.”

For his part, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said, “The security of our Homeland is the highest priority and requires close cooperation.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Among his statements on the military action, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least eight drones had entered Polish airspace at the same time hundreds had been attacking his country in what he referred to as “an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe” which came only days after GPS jamming had reportedly been used on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane in a suspected Russian attack.

Meanwhile, as President Donald Trump continued efforts to facilitate peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, he had yet to comment on the airspace violation at the time of this post.

Kevin Haggerty
Latest posts by Kevin Haggerty (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles