Polish airspace was ‘violated by huge number of Russian drones’, says PM Tusk
Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on X on Wednesday adding that drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.
Tusk wrote 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.
I am in constant communication with the secretary general of Nato and our allies.
Polish state fire service Cmdr Wojciech Kruczek and Gen Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the general staff of the Polish armed forces, gather at the Chancellery of the prime minister for an extraordinary government meeting, after violations of Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/ReutersShare
Updated at 02.49 EDT
Key events
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What we know so far
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Seven drones, ‘remains of missile’ found so far, interior ministry spokesperson says
Karolina Gałecka, spokesperson for the Polish interior minister, has just confirmed that Polish authorities have so far identified seven drones and “remains of a missile of unidentified origin.”
Share‘Egregious, unprecedented’ violation of Polish, Nato airspace, UK’s Starmer says
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has now responded to the overnight events, calling the Russian violation of the Polish airspace “egregious and unprecedented” and “extremely reckless.”
Here is his statement in full:
“This morning’s barbaric attack on Ukraine and the egregious and unprecedented violation of Polish and Nato airspace by Russian drones is deeply concerning.
This was an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of President Putin’s blatant disregard for peace, and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.
I have been in touch with the Polish prime minister this morning to make clear our support for Poland, and that we will stand firm in our support for Ukraine.
My sincere thanks go to the Nato and Polish forces who rapidly responded to protect the Alliance.
With our partners – and through our leadership of the Coalition of the Willing – we will continue to ramp up the pressure on Putin until there is a just and lasting peace.”
We are receiving reports about the first drone remains found this morning in Poland, with one traveling as far as 300 kilometers inside Polish territory before crashing in a field near Mniszków in the łódzkie voivodship.
Another drone was found in Czosnówka, some 50 km from the Polish-Belarusian border, with local prosecutors confirming they found “an object bearing Cyrillic inscriptions.”
Updated at 05.30 EDT
In her State of the Union address earlier today, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, also responded to the overnight incident in Poland, saying:
“Just today we have seen a reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland’s and Europe’s airspace by more than 10 Russian drones.
“Putin’s message is clear, and our response must be clear too. We need more pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table. We need more sanctions.
We are now working on the 19th package in coordination with partners. We are particularly looking at phasing out Russian fossil fuels faster, the shadow fleet and third countries.
And at the same time we need more support for Ukraine. No one has contributed as much as Europe. Close to 170 billion euros of military and financial aid so far. More will be needed.
And it should not only be European taxpayers who bear the brunt of this. This is Russia’s war. And it is Russia that should pay.”
ShareEuropean leaders express solidarity with Poland
A number of European leaders have expressed their solidarity with Poland after overnight violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones.
French president Emmanuel Macron said the attack was “simply unacceptable,” and condemned it “in the strongest possible terms.”
“I call on Russia to put an end to this reckless escalation. I reiterate to the Polish people and their government our full solidarity. I will soon speak with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte. We will not compromise on the security of the Allies,” he said.
Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said it was “unacceptable,” and “a further proof that Russia’s war of aggression poses a threat to the security of Europe.”
“I’m glad that Dutch F-35 fighter aircraft was able to provide support. The Netherlands stands shoulder to shoulder with its Nato ally, Poland,” he said.
Ireland’s Micheál Martin said he “strongly condemned the violation of Poland’s territorial integrity,” calling it a “reckless and unprecedented act that is a stark reminder of the threat posed by Russia to Europe’s security.”
Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo noted that “Poland had to resort to exceptional measures to protect its airspace from Russian drones.”
“Poland has Finland’s full support,” he said.
The European Council’s president António Costa said the last night’s events were “a stark reminder that the security of one is the security of all.”
“We stand in full solidarity with Poland following Russia’s unacceptable violation of its airspace. Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and reckless airspace incursions into EU Member States pose a direct threat to the safety of all Europeans and to critical infrastructure across our continent.
Poland is right to take necessary steps to defend its sovereignty. Europe is increasing investment in its defence, because peace and security in Europe cannot be taken for granted.”
Meanwhile, Warsaw’s main airport has reopened and resumed flights, but it warned that passengers are likely to experience delays throughout the day.
SharePoland summons Russian chargé d’affaires after overnight drone attack – report
Russian chargé d’affaires in Warsaw has been summoned by the Polish foreign ministry, Russian Ria Novosti news agency says.
But Andrey Ordash told the agency that Poland has not offered any evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.
Updated at 04.44 EDT
Tusk says the first signals from Nato members show the understanding of how serious the situation is and the importance of continued support for Ukraine in this context.
He stresses Poland’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying this is also fundamental to Poland’s security.
ShareTusk warns prospect of military conflict ‘closer than at any time since second world war’
Tusk also warns that last night’s violations are only a part of the broader security picture, with Russia and Belarus set to hold “aggressive” military exercise later this week.
“There is no reason to claim that we are in a state of war… but the situation is significantly more dangerous than all previous ones.”
He says the prospect of a large military conflict is “closer than at any time since the second world war.”
SharePoland will invoke Article 4 of Nato to consult on response to threat, Tusk says
Tusk says Poland will invoke the Article 4 of Nato, requesting a formal consultation within the alliance, a move agreed between him and the president, Karol Nawrocki.
The article reads:
“The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
As per Nato’s records, Article 4 has been invoked only seven times since Nato was created in 1949 and last in 2022, in the immediate aftermath of the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine.
But Tusk says while he appreciates all expressions of solidarity, “the words are not enough,” and Poland will request “a much greater” support from Nato allies.
Share19 violations of Polish airspace overnight, most likely four drones shot down, Tusk says
Tusk tells lawmakers that the Polish army first decided to escalate its response to Russian attacks on Ukraine just after 10pm local time.
The first violation of the Polish airspace occurred around 11:30pm on Tuesday, and the last one was reported 6:30am this morning. “It gives you an idea of the scale of this operation,” he says.
Preliminary reports indicate there were 19 airspace violations, with a significant number of drones crossing into Poland from Belarus.
Three drones have been confirmed shot down, while a fourth is believed to have been brought down as well. Authorities are working to verify and finalise these figures, he says.
SharePM Tusk briefing parliament on last night’s violation of Polish airspace
Polish PM Donald Tusk is speaking in the Polish parliament now, briefing lawmakers on last night’s events.
I will bring you all the key lines here.
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Jakub Krupa
It’s Jakub Krupa here, taking over from Amy Sedghi to guide you through the rest of the day with the latest updates from Poland.
Good morning.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in her state of the union speech on Wednesday that the commission will propose a new qualitative military edge programme to support investment in the Ukrainian military’s capabilities.
She also said that Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland after the “violation” of its airspace.
Von der Leyen added that more sanctions on Russia are needed and that in sanction talks, phasing out of Russian fossil fuels faster were being looked at. She also said that sanctions on the shadow oil fleet and third countries were being discussed.
The European Commission president also spoke about the need to work on a “new solution” to finance Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. “We can povide Ukraine with a reparations loan using the cash balances associated with frozen Russian assets,” von der Leyen said, adding that Ukraine would only pay back the loan once Russia paid for the reparations.
ShareMacron calls airspace incursion into Poland during Russian attack ‘simply unacceptable’
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that the incursion of drones during a Russian attack on western Ukraine into Polish airspace was “simply unacceptable,” adding that he would speak soon to Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Macron wrote in a post on social media platform X:
We will not compromise on the safety of our allies.
The Russian drone attack that also hit Poland is test of Nato countries’ defence capabilities, and it is difficult to believe it to just be a coincidence, Czech prime minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday.
Fiala said on X social media platform:
The night-time Russian drone attack, which also struck Polish territory, is a test of the defence capabilities of Nato countries. It is hard to believe that this was a mere coincidence.
[Russian president Vladimir] Putin’s regime threatens all of Europe and systematically probes how far it can go. It is reassuring that Poland’s air defence systems responded effectively. It is clear that Russia is attempting to harm the inhabitants of other European countries.
We stand with Poland, because they are on the frontline as our allies. Please keep this in mind-especially now, when many extremists are trying to convince you that Russia is not an enemy and that the solution lies in disarmament.
SharePolish president to call security council meeting within 48 hours
Polish president Karol Nawrocki decided to call a meeting of the national security council within 48 hours as Poland shot down Russian drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine, reports Reuters.
“ … news that we will have full information about what happened in Poland within 48 hours led me to the decision to convene the national security council within 48 hours,” Karol Nawrocki said adding the situation was unprecedented moment in Nato’s and Poland’s history.