Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily suspended flights at two airports after a Russian drone attack on western Ukraine brought an unmanned aircraft close to the Nato member’s border, prompting a heightened military alert.
The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said it had “activated the necessary forces and resources at its disposal”, while ground-based air defence and radar systems were placed on heightened alert.
Polish officials stressed that the measures were precautionary and later confirmed that the country’s airspace had not been violated. Military aviation operations ended after about an hour, while airports in Lublin and Rzeszów resumed flights shortly afterwards.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said: “Due to the need to ensure freedom of operation for military aviation, the airports in Lublin and Rzeszów temporarily suspended flight operations.”
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The Government Security Centre also issued alerts to residents in parts of the Lublin and Podkarpackie regions as the attack unfolded.
Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, a spokesman for the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command, said aircraft had been scrambled “in connection with the detection, at a short distance, of a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle approaching our borders”.
He said: “From the latest information I received just a moment ago, most likely at a short distance from our border, this drone was either neutralised or hit its target.”
Goryszewski added: “An explosion was recorded approximately four kilometres from the border.”
Poland’s deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk later told parliament that the operational commander had issued pre-authorisation for Polish forces to shoot down the objects if necessary.
He nevertheless stressed that there had been no violation of Polish airspace.
The episode illustrates the growing pressure on Nato’s eastern flank as Russia’s war in Ukraine increasingly generates security incidents close to alliance territory.
Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said there had been no damage to border infrastructure.
Spokesman Andriy Demchenko told RBC-Ukraine: “Fortunately, there were no strikes on border infrastructure, in particular on the border crossing.”
The incident nevertheless prompted a rapid military response from Poland, underscoring the narrow margin for error as Russian drone attacks take place close to Nato territory.
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