The UK is looking to bolster Poland’s air defences after suspected Russian drones were shot down in its airspace.
It is the first time a NATO country is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine and raises concerns of a wider conflict.
In a bleak message, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two”, but added that there was “no reason to believe we’re on the brink of war”.
Moscow denied responsibility for the incident, with the Russian defence ministry saying its drones had carried out a major attack on western Ukraine but it had not planned to hit any locations in Poland.
What happened in Poland?
NATO fighter planes were scrambled as part of the operation to shoot down suspected Russian drones that had allegedly breached Poland’s airspace on Tuesday evening and kept coming until morning, officials say.
Poland says 19 objects had entered its airspace during a Russian air attack on Ukraine, many from Belarus, and that those that posed a threat were shot down.
Seven drones have been found, as well as parts of one missile, according to Poland’s interior ministry.
Warsaw’s armed forces command called it “an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace”, adding: “This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said it tracked some drones that “lost their course” because they were jammed. However, several European leaders say they think the incursion amounted to an intentional escalation by Russia.
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How is NATO involved?
Poland is a key member of NATO and has one of the biggest militaries in Europe, one that has only increased in size since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Airplanes from other NATO nations – the Netherlands and Italy – were involved in the operation to shoot down the drones.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said the incident showed that the alliance is able to defend “every inch” of NATO territory “including, of course, its airspace”.
Leaders and diplomats from various NATO countries have been involved in fervent discussions in the aftermath of the incident.
Article 5 of the alliance treaty states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members, but Poland has not invoked that at this time.
Instead, Prime Minister Tusk said his country has asked that Article 4 be invoked, which allows alliance members to consult with other members on issues.
Foreign news reporter
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Poland is invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty in response to the alleged drones incident.
Article 5 – the principle of collective self-defence – is well known, but Article 4 is different.
Under the treaty, any member of the 32-strong alliance can formally invoke Article 4 to bring an issue to the attention of the North Atlantic Council – NATO’s decision-making body.
The article states: “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 soon as Article 4 is invoked, the issue is discussed and can potentially lead to some form of joint decision or action on behalf of NATO.
It does not necessitate any form of armed intervention.
Unlike Article 5, which has only been invoked once, Article 4 has been invoked seven times in NATO’s history.
Most recently, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia requested to hold consultations under Article 4 on 24 February 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Starmer condemns ‘reckless Russia’ as allies look to bolster Poland
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was among the leaders of Poland’s allies to criticise Moscow and offer support to Warsaw.
He denounced the “unprecedented violation of Polish and NATO airspace” as well as the “barbaric attack” on Ukraine.
“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,” he said.
The UK is also looking for ways to bolster Poland’s air defences, British defence secretary John Healey said.
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Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, warned that “Russia’s war is escalating” and called on the bloc to “raise the cost on Moscow” and invest in Europe’s defence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country endures nightly barrages of Russian drone attacks, said: “Ukraine is ready to expand our cooperation with partners for reliable protection of the sky. So that we have not only information and intelligence data sharing, but also real joint actions that guarantee security of the neighbours.
“Russia must feel that Europeans know how to defend themselves.”
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What does Russia say?
The Kremlin has denied responsibility for what happened.
Russia’s defence ministry said its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine, but that it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the EU and NATO “accuse Russia of provocations on a daily basis. Most of the time without even trying to present at least some kind of argument.”
