Russian drone intrusion in Poland: Russian ambassador to France summoned to the Quai d'Orsay this Friday

The outgoing Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced this Friday, September 12, that the Russian ambassador to France "will be summoned this morning" to the Quai d'Orsay in response to the intrusion of Russian drones into Poland during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

"These incursions are absolutely unacceptable," he declared on France Inter.

"We will tell him (...) that we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated, that NATO and its allies have a defensive and dissuasive vocation which is the most powerful in the world and that they must stop testing us and trying to intimidate us," added Jean-Noël Barrot.

Jean-Noël Barrot's chief of staff, Aurélien Lechevallier, will receive the Russian ambassador this Friday, BFMTV has learned. Usually, summoned ambassadors are received by technical directors. The fact that it is the number two on the quay who will receive the Russian ambassador is a diplomatic signal.

Deemed deliberate by Warsaw, the intrusion of 19 presumably Russian drones into Polish airspace on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, in the midst of the Ukrainian war, caused a stir among its European allies.

According to Warsaw, 19 drones entered Polish airspace overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. At least three drones, "Russian-made," according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, were shot down by the Polish military and its NATO allies. There were no injuries.

According to the Polish Defense Ministry, the drones took off from the Russian regions of Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, and Krasnodar, as well as from occupied Crimea. Russian authorities have denied any involvement , accusing Warsaw of not providing any material evidence.

"Whether intentional or not, accidental or not, all of this is very serious. All of this is absolutely unacceptable. All of this comes on top of Vladimir Putin's countless provocations," Jean-Noël Barrot said this Friday.

Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania, Belgium and Spain have also summoned Russian ambassadors or chargés d'affaires of Russian diplomatic missions in recent days.

In response to this intrusion and as Russia and Belarus launch major military exercises on Friday , Poland's allies announced that they would strengthen its air defense capabilities.

Germany has announced that it will extend its mission to protect Polish airspace by three months and increase the number of its Eurofighter fighter jets deployed for this purpose from two to four.

Beyond the condemnation, Jean-Noël Barrot indicated that France had "immediately indicated its readiness to contribute even further to strengthening the protection of what is called NATO's eastern flank, that is to say eastern Europe."

President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday evening that France would deploy three Rafale fighter jets . Their mission will be "to detect and, if necessary, destroy drone vectors that threaten Polish territory. And other countries will follow," he added.

The Netherlands has decided to accelerate the delivery of two Patriot missile batteries and to deploy anti-aircraft and anti-drone systems, along with 300 military personnel. The Czech Republic will deploy three Mi-17 helicopters. According to Warsaw, the British will also deploy Eurofighters.