❓WHAT HAPPENED: Polish forces intercepted and destroyed a significant number of Russian drones that violated its airspace during an attack on Ukraine.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Polish military, NATO allies from Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, and Russian forces.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred overnight in Polish airspace, during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before.” – Donald Tusk
🎯IMPACT: The drone incursion heightened tensions between NATO and Russia, with European leaders condemning the actions and calling for peace.
On Wednesday, Polish authorities confirmed that their military, with support from NATO aircraft from Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, intercepted and neutralized a “huge number” of Russian drones that breached Polish airspace during an assault on Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed the alliance’s full support for Poland, denouncing Russia’s “reckless behavior.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X, “Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.”
Addressing the Polish legislature, Tusk cautioned, “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before,” describing the incident as Europe’s closest brush with open conflict since the Second World War. Notably, Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which calls for joint consultations between NATO allies “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened,” but stopped short of invoking Article 5, which calls for a joint military response to an attack on a NATO member.
The Kremlin had not commented on the incident as of the time of publication, with President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisting, “It’s a matter for the [Russian] defence ministry.” Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any intent to target Poland. General Pavel Muraveiko, who leads the military of Belarus—a close ally of Russia, although not directly engaged in the Ukraine war— attributed the drone incursion to electronic warfare.
European NATO leader Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, stressed the urgency of peace to stop the Ukraine war from escalating, stating, “Living in the shadow of a war is fraught with risks and dangers. It’s time to make it stop! To this end, we support the efforts of President [Donald J. Trump] aimed at achieving peace.”
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