Poland shoots down Russian drones for airspace violation

Warsaw: Poland said on Wednesday that multiple Russian drones entered its territory over the course of several hours and were shot down with help from NATO allies, describing the incursion as an “act of aggression” carried out during a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry did not target Poland, but its close ally, Belarus, said it tracked some drones that “lost their course” because they were jammed.

However, several European leaders said they believe that the incursion amounted to an intentional escalation by Russia of its war on Ukraine.

Poland said some of the drones came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops have begun gathering for war games starting on Friday. Polish airspace has been violated many times since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been nothing on this scale in Poland or in any other Western nation along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance had confronted a potential threat in its airspace.