The Polish military said today that it had downed drones that violated its airspace as Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said in a statement that “a violation of Polish airspace by drones took place on an unprecedented scale". Poland did not identify the source of the drones but said that it was "a result of today’s attack by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine".
Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that he had received a report from the Operational Command of the Army about "the shutting down of drones that entered our airspace and could constitute a threat".
He said he informed the NATO Secretary General about actions undertaken by the Polish side.
Poland’s armed forces were on a heightened state of alert overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday (local time) because of what they described as "further massive airstrikes against targets located in Ukraine".
Russian drones struck down over Poland, a NATO country - Watch on TVNZ+
Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that "more than 10 objects" crossed into Polish air space and those that constituted a risk to Poland’s security were neutralised.
Warsaw’s Chopin Airport suspended flights for several hours, citing the closure of airspace due to military operations.
The Polish armed forces said this morning that a search for possible crash sites is ongoing and urged people not to approach, touch or move any objects they see, warning that they may pose a threat and could contain hazardous material.
Poland says Russian objects have entered its airspace before
Poland has complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine before.
In August, Poland’s defence minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone, and called it a provocation by Russia. In March, Poland scrambled jets after a Russian missile briefly passed through Polish air space on its way to a target in western Ukraine, and in 2022, a missile that was likely fired by Ukraine to intercept a Russian attack landed in Poland, killing two people.
Russian attacks hit central and western Ukraine
Russian drones injured three people in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskyi region, its head Serhii Tiurin wrote on Telegram early Wednesday morning. He said a sewing factory was destroyed, a gas station and vehicles were damaged, and windows in several houses were blown out.
One person was killed and one injured in Zhytomyr region overnight, regional administration head Vitalii Bunechko wrote on Telegram, while homes and businesses suffered damage.
In Vinnytsia region, Russian drones damaged “civilian and industrial infrastructure”, according to regional head Natalia Zabolotna. Nearly 30 residential buildings were damaged and one person was injured.
In Cherkasy region, several houses and a power grid were damaged in a Russian attack. In Zolotonosha district, a shock wave destroyed a barn killing two cows, regional head Ihor Taburets wrote on Telegram.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in its morning report today that it had destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions overnight, including over the illegally annexed Crimea and areas of the Black Sea.
Kyiv anxious over Russia-Belarus military drills
Joint military drills involving Russian and Belarusian troops are due to take place in Belarus starting Friday and will last until Sept. 16.
Troops from both countries will simulate repelling an attack, including airstrikes and sabotage, according to official reports of the games, dubbed “Zapad 2025”, or “West 2025”.
The aim is to showcase the close links between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russian military might, amid its 3½-year-old war in neighboring Ukraine.
The war games have drawn concerns in Kyiv and its Western allies of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which border Belarus. When Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops rolling into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, many of them crossed from Belarus.
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