Poland claims Russian drone incursions were deliberate
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Polish leaders firmly rejected suggestions by President Donald Trump and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, that the incursion of up to 21 Russian drones into Polish airspace on September 10 could have been unintentional. Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on X, “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it,” signaling Poland’s confidence in evidence pointing to deliberate Russian aggression.
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, speaking in Kyiv, emphasized the scale of the incident, noting that 19 drones breached Polish airspace amid a Russian assault of 400 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine, asserting, “It was not a mistake.”
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The incursion, the largest violation of NATO airspace since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, saw Polish and NATO forces, including Dutch F-35s and Italian AWACS planes, intercept and down at least three of the 21 drones, with 17 wrecks recovered, some in rural areas and one damaging a residential property in Wyryki-Wola. No injuries were reported.
Polish officials, supported by a NATO briefing cited by Germany’s Die Welt, claimed five drones were on a direct path toward a key NATO airbase used for Ukraine aid, suggesting a targeted probe of alliance defenses. Notably, the recovered drones lacked explosive charges, indicating they were likely decoy or reconnaissance assets, though this has not diminished Poland’s view of the breach as a deliberate provocation.
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The chances that the intrusion was an accident look remote. If the Russians were trying to hit Ukraine and wound up also attacking Poland, it would look deliberate to the Poles. NATO needs to investigate what happened and address the Russian threats.
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