What we know so far
If you’re just just joining us, here’s quick summary of what we know so far:
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Poland says it has shot down drones that violated its airspace during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
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Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said the operation is “ongoing” while the military has said it is searching for drone debris.
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In its latest update the military said Polish and allies monitoring services followed “a dozen or so” objects, and ordered to shoot down those deemed to pose a risk.
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It called the overnight violations “unprecedented” and “an act of aggression that posed a real risk to the lives of our citizens.”
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It urged people to stay at home, especially in the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin.
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Four airports have been temporarily closed, including Warsaw’s main Chopin airport and Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine.
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Polish authorities say they are in “constant contact” with Nato command
Key events
A damaged drone believed to be involved in the overnight incursion was discovered in the village of Czosnówka in eastern Poland, local police confirmed.
Czosnówka lies approximately 40km (25 miles) from Poland’s border with Belarus.
W związku sytuacją naruszenia przestrzeni powietrznej Komendant Wojewódzki Policji w Lublinie ogłosił alarm dla wszystkich policjantów garnizonu lubelskiego.
W Komendzie Wojewódzkiej Policji w Lublinie trwa posiedzenie sztabu z udziałem https://t.co/Rz8ais9Ubh. Wojewody… pic.twitter.com/CH8rVCiqDL— Policja Lubelska 🇵🇱 (@PolicjaLubelska) September 10, 2025
The Polish government has warned anyone who finds a downed drone to not approach, saying “such elements may remain dangerous and must be inspected by sapper patrols.”
Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army forces in Europe, has told Reuters that the number of incursions by Russian drones into Nato airspace “make it clear that these are intentional tests of Nato and national air defences and early warning systems”.
We need to be able to respond effectively, each time … We certainly could be doing more.
Jakub Krupa
Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, is expected to cut short his visit to London where he was due to attend a meeting of the defence ministers from the E5 Group of Five nations – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom – and will return to Poland, national broadcaster TVP Info has reported.
Jakub Krupa
Separately, Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, says he will “shortly” lead an emergency meeting of the National Security Bureau, with prime minister Tusk in attendance.
He says he is in contact with all key ministers and army leaders. In a post on X he said:
The security of our Homeland is the highest priority and requires close cooperation.
Jakub Krupa
Poland has called an emergency cabinet meeting for 8am Warsaw time.
Ahead of the meeting, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk is consulting with the key ministers responsible for defence and security, the government said.
Poland’s territorial army says it has introduced shortened time for reporting for duty and posted a map.
The time in those areas coloured red and comprising Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie has been cut to six hours, while those in yellow areas must report within 12.
ALERT GOTOWOŚCI WOT 🚨
👉 W związku z naruszeniem polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej i uruchomieniem naziemnych zespołów poszukiwawczo-ratowniczych wprowadzono skrócony czas stawiennictwa dla żołnierzy WOT.
⏰ Żołnierze WOT mogą otrzymać wezwanie do natychmiastowego… pic.twitter.com/2WPddAjPRz
— Terytorialsi | Zawsze Gotowi, Zawsze Blisko! (@terytorialsi) September 10, 2025
Jakub Krupa
Lubelskie region governor Krzysztof Komorski is leading an emergency meeting with the police this morning.
In a post on X, he urged residents to follow the guidance from the relevant authorities.
Prime minister Donald Tusk meanwhile said in his latest update that he is in “constant contact” with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Jakub Krupa
The latest Polish statement gives the number of the drones as “kilkanaście,” which (to the best of my knowledge) doesn’t have an appropriate English equivalent as it means a number between 11 and 19.
What we know so far
If you’re just just joining us, here’s quick summary of what we know so far:
-
Poland says it has shot down drones that violated its airspace during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
-
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said the operation is “ongoing” while the military has said it is searching for drone debris.
-
In its latest update the military said Polish and allies monitoring services followed “a dozen or so” objects, and ordered to shoot down those deemed to pose a risk.
-
It called the overnight violations “unprecedented” and “an act of aggression that posed a real risk to the lives of our citizens.”
-
It urged people to stay at home, especially in the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin.
-
Four airports have been temporarily closed, including Warsaw’s main Chopin airport and Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine.
-
Polish authorities say they are in “constant contact” with Nato command
Jakub Krupa
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk says he’s received a report from the military top brass on shooting down the drones that ‘violated our airspace and could pose danger’.
“The operation is on-going,” he said in a post on X.
The US has yet to comment on the drone incursion but US politicians have been quick to condemn Russia.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that the “repeated violations of Nato airspace” by Russian drones were “fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations”. He continued:
After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored.
Republican congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the foreign affairs committee, described the incursion in a post on X as an “act of war”. He continued:
We are grateful to Nato allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations.
Wilson urged President Donald Trump to respond with sanctions “that will bankrupt the Russian war machine” and added “Putin is no longer content just losing in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve in Nato territory,” he said.
As we reported earlier, four Polish airports have closed according to US authorities but this had yet to be confirmed by their Polish counterparts.
However Warsaw’s main airport, Chopin airport, has now confirmed that operations there have been suspended. In a Facebook post it wrote:
Due to the actions of state services and the military to ensure security, the airspace over parts of the country, including Chopin Airport, has been temporarily closed.
The airport remains open, but currently there are no air operations.
All passengers are asked to follow official state communications and airlines.
Information updates will be published through the edition of this notice.
Jakub Krupa
In their latest update, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces has called the overnight violations “unprecedented” and “an act of aggression that posed a real risk to the lives of our citizens.”
It said the Polish and allies monitoring services followed “a dozen or so” objects, and ordered to shoot down those deemed to pose a risk.
It said there was an ongoing search operation for their debris.
Poland’s military command earlier said Polish airspace was repeatedly violated by “drone-type objects” during the Russian attack across the border in Ukraine.
It said the military operation was ongoing and urged people to stay at home, saying the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin were most at risk. It added:
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the situation, and subordinate forces and units remain on full readiness for immediate response.
Poland has also temporarily closed four airports, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Polish authorities have yet to confirm the closures.
Those affected, according to the FAA, include Poland’s main Chopin airport in Warsaw, as well as the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in Poland’s south-east, a hub for passenger and arms transfers to Ukraine.
The search is underway for the downed drones, according to defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
In a post on X he said that Poland’s “territorial Defense Forces have been activated for ground searches of downed drones.
“We ask for calm and to share only the announcements of the military and state services. In case of encountering object fragments, please do not approach them and inform the police.”
Welcome and summary
Poland has shot down drones following repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, prime minister Donald Tusk has said.
“An operation is underway related to the repeated violation of Polish airspace,” Tusk wrote on X “The military has used weaponry against the objects.”
The announcement came after Poland closed airports and launched an operation “to neutralise” objects that crossed over its border.
Earlier, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland’s airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but it subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.
We’ll bring you further updates as we get them.
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