TRANSCRIPT
Poland is on edge after what officials are calling the most serious breach of its airspace since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk says that on Tuesday night local time, more than a dozen Russian drones crossed into Poland from Belarus and Ukraine.
"The first airspace violation over our country has been recorded. The last one we recorded took place around 6:30am, so that gives you an idea of the scale of this operation. It lasted all night long. 19 violations were recorded and precisely measured. These specific airspace violations."
NATO scrambled fighter jets, shooting the drones down with help from Polish, Dutch, Italian, and German forces.
Damage was reported on homes in eastern villages, though no deaths have been confirmed.
Prime Minister Tusk says this was the closest Poland has come to open conflict since the Second World War, though he stressed there was no reason to believe Poland is on the brink of war.
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski says the incident could not have been accidental.
He is now calling on NATO and the EU to strengthen collective defences.
“In this case there were 19 breaches and it simply defies imagination that could be accidental… We need to create what Ursula von der Leyen called today in the European Parliament a drone wall. This is a threat not only to Poland, this new technology of the mass use of drones is a threat to all of the EU and NATO and we need to face it together.”
Mr Sikorski went further, accusing Vladimir Putin of deliberately mocking Donald Trump’s peace initiative in Alaska last month.
That summit, billed as a turning point, ended with President Trump announcing that Russia had shown what he calls serious intent towards a ceasefire.
Instead, Polish officials say Moscow has escalated its offensive on Ukraine, and now extended it into NATO territory.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the drone attack was deliberate and calculated.
"Unfortunately, as of now, Russia has not received a tough reaction from global leaders to what the Russians are doing – a reaction inaction. There are more than enough statements, but there is still a shortage of action. The Russians are testing the limits of what is possible. They are testing the reaction. They are recording how the armed forces of NATO countries operate, what they can and cannot do yet."
President Zelenskyy warned that if dozens of drones can cross a NATO border, hundreds may follow, unless European airspace is defended collectively.
At the United Nations in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued his own warning through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
"The Secretary-General is following with great concern the reports that Russian military drones entered Poland overnight, in violation of Poland’s airspace, resulting in damage to residential areas in Poland. The incident, which reportedly took place during another large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, again underlines the regional impact and real risk of expansion of this devastating conflict. There is an urgent need for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine."
NATO headquarters in Brussels convened emergency consultations under Article 4 of the alliance treaty at the request of Poland's Prime Minister.
Secretary-General Mark Rutte described the drone incursion as reckless and dangerous, and made clear the alliance was prepared to defend its members.
"A full assessment is ongoing but of course, whether it was intentionally or not, it is absolutely reckless. It is absolutely dangerous, but the full assessment is ongoing. And, to Putin, I mean, my message is clear. Stop the war in Ukraine and stop the escalating war, which he is now basically mounting on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure. Stop violating allied airspace and know that we stand ready, that we are vigilant and that we will defend every inch of NATO territory."
The European Union also weighed in.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola says the EU and NATO must prepare for further aggression.
"Poland has every right to defend itself. We are still looking at what has happened. We've seen the declarations of the Polish government and the Prime Minister. But make no mistake, Poland has every right to defend themselves against any attack. ... The European Union stands united. This is not only a European Union member state, but it is also a state member of NATO. And this is where not only do our common defence capabilities and our security come into question, but also how prepared we are to make sure that we prepare for any such attack."
But Moscow dismissed claims that the breach was an intentional provocation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected European accusations as baseless.
“The leadership of the EU and NATO accuse Russia of provocation on a daily basis, most often without even trying to present any kind of arguments.”
Polish officials, however, say some drones clearly came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops are preparing for large-scale war games due to begin on Friday.
Warsaw says the timing of those exercises only reinforces its belief that the incursion was pre-planned, part of Moscow’s effort to probe NATO’s readiness.
That view is shared across much of Europe.
Several leaders say the incident amounts to an intentional escalation, marking the first time NATO has directly confronted a potential threat inside its own airspace.
On the ground, ordinary Poles are living with the consequences.
In the village of Wyryki-Wola residents spoke of their fear as they inspected homes damaged by falling debris.
One resident, Anna, says uncertainty is paralysing her community.
“There’s fear. And do we know what will happen when night comes, how will we fall asleep? Now fear will paralyse us, and we’ll be afraid of everything that happens.”
Another resident, Urszula Zaprzaluk, says the blasts reminded her of her mother’s wartime stories.
“I'm afraid for everyone, my neighbours, I'm simply afraid of this war, because I can only imagine it. My mother used to tell stories about it, when she was nine years old, when the front line was passing in World War II. And it's better if it doesn't happen to us.”
