The EU points to "intentional" rather than "accidental" action after the entry of drones into Poland.
Follow the latest news on the downing of Russian drones in Poland, which Warsaw has described as an "unprecedented violation" of its airspace, including within NATO.
NATO's Patriot air defense systems detected the drones with their radars, but did not engage them, NATO confirms.
The Polish government called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to analyze the situation following the downing of several Russian drones that entered its airspace as part of a new wave of attacks against Ukraine. For its part, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the security forces under its authority "are on high alert" and added that it maintains "constant contact with the Ministry of Defense and the Polish Armed Forces."
Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35 aircraft, Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft, and NATO MRTT aerial refueling aircraft participated in the operation, NATO reports.
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, asserts that "all indicators" suggest that the Russian drone attack in Polish airspace was "intentional" and not accidental.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said Russia was escalating the war rather than ending it. Meanwhile, EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius argued that the EU should build an “anti-drone wall” along the eastern flank of their shared borders. “Once again, Russia is testing the border states, the EU, and NATO,” Kubilius wrote in a post on social media site X. “We will work together with the member states, the border countries, and Ukraine. Russia will be stopped.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in contact with Polish leaders and is holding "close consultations," according to a NATO spokesperson.
Polish President Donald Tusk has stated that during the early hours of the morning, the country's airspace was "violated by a large number of Russian drones." He called the Russian drone incursion a "large-scale provocation."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack set a "dangerous precedent" for Europe and called for a "firm response from allies."
Ukraine has estimated the Russian attack tonight at 415 drones and 40 missiles. During its military aggression, the Kremlin allegedly violated Polish airspace. There are no reports of fatalities so far, but there is evidence of material damage to a residential building in the east of the country.
Polish authorities have therefore decided to close Warsaw International Airport, its capital, as well as the airport in the eastern city of Lublin, due to "unplanned military activities related to state security," according to a notice to pilots and aircraft operators issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (NOTAM) and reported by the Bloomberg news agency.
A drone has hit a residential building in Wyryki, eastern Poland, but no one was injured, private broadcaster Polsat News reported Wednesday, citing local police. Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine on Wednesday, with the NATO member calling the incursion "an act of aggression."
Ukraine has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “escalating his war” and “testing the West,” after Poland denounced the violation of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian territory. “Putin keeps escalating, expanding his war and testing the West,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga, whose country has been fighting the Russian invasion since 2022, said on social media X. According to the spokesman, a weak response today will only provoke Russia further, and Russian missiles and drones will then fly even further from Europe.
Authorities are focusing their efforts on locating possible impact sites for these devices, while maintaining "defensive procedures." "The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command is monitoring the current situation, and Polish and allied forces and resources remain fully prepared for future operations," he concluded.
Good morning! Poland denounced this Wednesday that Russian drones violated its airspace in an attack on Ukraine. "Polish and allied forces have monitored dozens of objects by radar and, considering those that could pose a threat, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces has decided to neutralize them," the same organization explained in a statement released on the social network X, where it confirmed that "some of the drones that invaded our airspace have been shot down."
ABC.es
