Warsaw closes airports and places air defences on highest alert after Ukrainian warnings of Shahed drones crossing border during massive Russian assault
NATO has scrambled fighter jets in Poland after Russian drones crossed into the alliance member’s airspace from Ukraine, prompting the closure of Warsaw’s international airport and triggering the highest state of military readiness across the nation’s eastern regions.
Polish authorities confirmed their airspace was “repeatedly violated” by drones during a massive Russian assault on Ukraine overnight, with the Polish Army stating that “an operation is underway to identify and neutralise the targets.” The incursion marks the latest in a series of airspace violations that have heightened tensions between NATO and Russia.
The Polish Armed Forces’ Operational Command announced shortly before 3am UK time that “weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed targets,” whilst ordering citizens in eastern regions to remain at home as military operations continued. Warsaw Chopin Airport and Warsaw-Modlin Airport were closed alongside facilities in Rzeszów and Lublin due to what authorities termed “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security.”
Ukrainian Warnings Trigger Response
The Ukrainian Air Force first alerted Polish authorities via Telegram that Russian-made Shahed “suicide drones” had entered Polish airspace and were heading towards the city of Zamość, located approximately 40 miles from the Ukrainian border. At least one drone was reportedly travelling towards Rzeszów, a key logistics hub for NATO military aid to Ukraine, though Polish operational command has not verified this claim.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the Polish operational command stated on social media platform X. The measures were described as preventive and aimed at protecting citizens in regions bordering Ukraine.
A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) posted on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website confirmed Warsaw Chopin Airport was unavailable due to the military activity, with commercial flights being diverted further west. Flight tracking data showed multiple NATO aircraft, including Dutch F-35 fighter jets stationed in Poland, actively patrolling eastern Polish airspace.
Political Condemnation from Washington
The airspace violation drew immediate and fierce condemnation from US lawmakers, with Republican Congressman Joe Wilson declaring it an “act of war” against NATO. Wilson issued a strongly-worded statement saying: “Russia is attacking NATO ally Poland with Iranian Shahed drones less than a week after President Trump hosted President Nawrocki at the White House.
The congressman urged President Trump to “respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia,” adding that “Putin is no longer content just losing in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve in NATO territory.
Democrat Senator Dick Durbin suggested the drone incursions were a deliberate test of NATO’s resolve. “Repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones are fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations,” Durbin wrote on social media. “After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored.”
Pattern of Violations
This latest incident follows a troubling pattern of Russian drones breaching Polish airspace since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. On 2-3 September 2025, two drones violated Polish airspace during another large-scale Russian strike, with Polish Armed Forces Operational Commander General Maciej Klisz confirming the violations were “under full control” but the drones were not shot down as they “posed no danger.”
Dutch F-35 fighters were scrambled during that incident as well, with the Royal Netherlands Air Force confirming their jets were prepared to “destroy the Russians’ unmanned projectiles when crossing an allied border,” though weapon deployment proved unnecessary. The Netherlands has maintained F-35s in Poland as part of NATO’s eastern flank defence since 31 August 2025.
In late August, a Russian Shahed drone flew over Poland for approximately two and a half hours before crashing near the village of Osiny, covering a straight-line distance of around 200 kilometres. Another incident in early September saw a Russian Gerbera decoy drone fall in a field near Majdan Sielce in Lublin Voivodeship, about 50 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Massive Russian Assault on Ukraine
The Polish airspace violation occurred during what Ukrainian officials described as one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in recent weeks. Russia launched over 500 attack and decoy drones plus 24 missiles overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force, targeting civilian infrastructure including energy facilities across multiple regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes on social media, stating: “The main targets were civilian infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, a transportation hub, even a garage cooperative, and, as has already become routine for the Russians, residential areas.” He accused Putin of “showing his impunity” and blamed insufficient international pressure on Russia’s war economy for the continuation of such attacks.
The Ukrainian air force reported downing or suppressing 430 drones and 21 missiles, though impacts from 69 drones and three missiles were recorded across 14 locations, with falling debris causing damage in multiple areas. The strikes prompted air raid alerts across western Ukraine, with residents in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk reporting explosions.
Border Closure with Belarus
The drone incursion comes just one day before Poland is set to close its border with Belarus on Thursday at midnight, a decision announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in response to the upcoming Zapad-2025 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus. The exercises, scheduled from 12-16 September, have raised alarm amongst NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
“On Friday, Russian-Belarusian manoeuvres, very aggressive from a military doctrine perspective, begin in Belarus, very close to the Polish border,” Tusk told a government meeting on Tuesday. “Therefore, for national security reasons, we will close the border with Belarus, including railway crossings.”
The Zapad-2025 exercises will reportedly include drills on the possible use of nuclear weapons and Russia’s intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, according to Belarus’s defence minister. NATO has announced it will conduct its own exercises on its side of the border simultaneously.
Espionage and Hybrid Warfare
Polish authorities also announced on Tuesday the arrest of a Belarusian spy and the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat who “supported the aggressive action of the Belarusian state against Poland.” The arrest resulted from cooperation between Poland’s Internal Security Agency and counterparts in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova.
Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński urged caution whilst awaiting official information about the drone attacks, stating: “We are waiting for official information about that Russian drone attack. We are waiting, and be careful about what is on the internet right now.”
The incidents fit into what Western officials describe as a broader pattern of Russian hybrid warfare, including warehouse fires in Britain, attacks on Norwegian infrastructure, attempts to sever Baltic Sea cables, and sabotage campaigns against Swedish cell towers aimed at destabilising Europe and eroding support for Ukraine.
NATO Response and Readiness
NATO forces in Poland maintained heightened readiness for approximately four hours before returning to normal alert levels following the conclusion of the Russian strikes. A NATO Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force was observed rushing towards eastern Poland from bases in Germany, likely supporting additional fighter aircraft deployments.
The Polish Armed Forces emphasised that all necessary procedures had been activated to secure national airspace and that the military remains “fully prepared for immediate response.” Ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance units across eastern Poland have been operating at maximum readiness.
As dawn broke over Warsaw, the immediate threat appeared to have passed, but the incident serves as a stark reminder of the spillover risks from Russia’s war in Ukraine. With the Zapad exercises looming and tensions escalating along NATO’s eastern frontier, Poland finds itself increasingly on the front line of a new Cold War confrontation between Russia and the West.
The number of Russian drones that breached Polish airspace overnight has not been officially confirmed by authorities, and investigations into the incidents continue. Poland has been on heightened alert for aerial intrusions since November 2022, when a stray Ukrainian interceptor missile killed two civilians in the border village of Przewodów, underscoring the dangers faced by NATO’s easternmost members.
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