Poland was placed on heightened alert overnight after Russian jet-powered drones attacking Ukraine triggered military operations in Polish airspace, reviving fears that Moscow’s expanding aerial campaign could spill directly into NATO territory.
Polish authorities issued emergency warnings shortly before 2am BST to residents in Lublin and Podkarpackie, the two regions bordering Ukraine, amid reports that Russian Geran-5 “missile drones” may have crossed the border. Poland’s military has so far denied that Russian drones entered its airspace.
“ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Russian air attack in Ukrainian territory,” the emergency alert said.
“The situation is being monitored. Polish aviation is operating in the airspace of the Republic of Poland.”
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A separate warning issued in Lublin said there was a “threat of an air attack”, ordering residents to seek shelter and follow instructions from local authorities. The warning was later stood down.
Residents reported hearing sirens and explosions during the early hours. Some described a “thunderclap so loud it shook the house”, while others in the eastern town of Chelm reported hearing blasts. Polish social media users also complained that some emergency messages arrived only after the sirens had stopped.
The Polish armed forces confirmed that military operations had begun.
“Due to the activity of the Russian Federation’s jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, military aviation operations have commenced in Polish airspace,” the armed forces said.
The incident follows an exceptionally intense Russian drone campaign against western Ukraine, including attacks on civilian infrastructure close to Poland’s border.
More than 800 Geran-2 drones and faster Geran-4 jet-powered drones were reportedly launched, with petrol stations and railway infrastructure among the targets. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had deployed nearly 500 drones against Ukrainian targets since early Saturday.
During Russia’s overnight mass drone attack, explosions were reported near the Ukraine-Poland border. A drone hit a gas station near the Yahodyn crossing in Volyn region, and the station and trucks caught fire. https://t.co/DYGLDIyxCV pic.twitter.com/T2dOJlLLSf
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) September 13, 2026
The development has particular significance for NATO after repeated incidents involving Russian weapons or drones near or inside allied airspace.
Russian drones were shot down over Poland in September 2025 after NATO scrambled fighter aircraft following a warning from the Ukrainian Air Force. NATO aircraft were again deployed in July amid concerns that Russian missiles had entered Polish airspace during a major attack on Ukraine.
In neighbouring Romania, a Russian drone struck a residential building in May, injuring several people.
The repeated incidents are increasing pressure on NATO’s eastern flank as Russia expands the scale and geographical reach of its aerial campaign.
In July, the US was reported to have warned that Moscow could stage an armed “provocation” on Polish territory to test NATO’s response.
❗️Gas station attacked at the border with Poland near the Yagodyn checkpoint in Volyn: as a result of the shelling, the gas station and trucks are heavily ablaze, – local media. pic.twitter.com/YlrtZdH4xb
— EMPR.media (@EuromaidanPR) September 13, 2026
For Warsaw, the immediate challenge is distinguishing between deliberate Russian escalation and the increasingly difficult task of containing weapons operating close to the alliance’s borders.
Zelensky said Moscow was deliberately moving the war beyond the battlefield.
“Basically, the Russians have expanded the war away from the front, where they have no success, into the economy, and their tactics are as basic as it gets: destroying every site that could help people cope with the conditions of war,” he said.
“Russia wants to kill the Ukrainian economy and break our resistance.”
The latest alert underlines the growing strategic risk for NATO: as Russia sends ever larger waves of drones deeper into Ukraine, the margin for error along the alliance’s eastern border is becoming increasingly narrow.
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