EU and NATO denounce 'dangerous' and 'unprecedented' violation of Polish airspace by Russia

Warsaw and its allies on Wednesday denounced the incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace as an "unprecedented provocation," which forced the mobilization of NATO's anti-aircraft defenses.

Neither the drones, fired during a Russian attack on Ukraine, nor their shooting down by Polish and Transatlantic Alliance forces caused any casualties, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Authorities in Poland, an EU and NATO member country and a key supporter of Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, said they had identified more than ten "hostile objects" in its airspace early Wednesday.

"Nineteen violations" of airspace were identified, and "we have currently confirmed that three drones were shot down," Tusk specified before Parliament, qualifying that the balance is provisional.

The Polish prime minister also catalogued the entry of several Russian drones into his country's airspace as "a large-scale provocation." "Tonight we have witnessed a violation of Polish airspace by a significant number of Russian drones," Tusk declared.

NATO chief assures that they will defend "every inch" of the alliance's territory.

NATO criticized Moscow's "reckless behavior" after Russian drones violated Polish airspace and praised the alliance's "very successful reaction" to counter the incursion.

"A full assessment is underway. But of course, whether it was intentional or not, it is absolutely reckless, it is absolutely dangerous," alliance chief Mark Rutte said after NATO members held emergency talks.

He added that his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was "stop violating allied airspace and know that we are ready, we are vigilant and we will defend every inch of NATO territory."

EU: "reckless and unprecedented attack"

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday denounced before the European Parliament a "dangerous" and "unprecedented" violation of Polish and European airspace by "more than ten Russian Shahed drones."

"Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland," she said in a speech to MEPs in Strasbourg.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned in the strongest terms a Russian drone incursion into Poland and demanded that Moscow immediately stop this hasty offensive.

"The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace during a Russian-led attack on Ukraine is simply unacceptable," he said on the X social network.

"I urge Russia to stop this precipitous offensive (...) We will not compromise the security of allies," he added, specifying that he will meet "soon" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Sweden, Norway and Latvia also find the violation unacceptable

The governments of Sweden, Norway and Latvia found the Russian violation of Poland's airspace unacceptable and showed their support for the latter country, stressing that the allies "must work together."

"The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine poses a threat to the security of the whole of Europe," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X.

In that regard, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that what happened is a "clear testimony" that Russian aggression in Ukraine directly affects them and appropriate measures must be taken. Norway, for its part, welcomed "the coordination between the Polish authorities and NATO."

The Kremlin refuses to comment on the drone incursion in Poland

For its part, the Kremlin declined to comment on the drone incursion into Poland, after the NATO member said it had shot down several Russian drones overnight and accused Moscow of violating its airspace.

"We prefer not to comment. It is not within our competence, it is the prerogative of the Defense Ministry," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including those of AFP, at a news conference.

Russia launched 458 drones and missiles in night attack, says Ukraine

Russian forces launched more than 400 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force reported, after Poland announced it had deployed its air defenses to intercept "hostile objects."

The Ukrainian air force said Moscow launched 415 drones and 43 missiles in the attack, which Ukrainian officials said left at least one dead. Air defense units shot down 386 drones and 27 missiles, the air force added.

Russian drones over Poland a 'dangerous precedent' for Europe, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented Wednesday that eight Russian drones were "aimed at" Poland in a nighttime bombardment launched by Moscow that forced Warsaw to deploy its air defenses.

"It was not just one Shahed that could be considered an accident, but at least eight attack drones aimed at Poland," Zelensky said, referring to Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow, adding that the incident represented "an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe."