Fighter Jets Scrambled and Fired
Airport Closures and Heightened Alert Status
Poland announced that it scrambled fighter jets and shot down a Russian drone that had violated its airspace.
According to the BBC and other outlets on September 10 (local time), the Polish military stated, "Some of the drones that entered our airspace have been shot down," adding, "We are conducting efforts to search for and locate areas where debris may have fallen." The military urged citizens to remain indoors until the search operations are complete.
The Polish military criticized Russia for an unprecedented violation of its airspace during Russia's drone attacks on Ukrainian territory, saying, "This is an act of aggression that poses a real threat to the safety of our people."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that he is in continuous contact with military leadership, the Minister of Defense, and the President regarding the incident. Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of Defense, also explained that he is maintaining ongoing communication with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command about the situation.
Poland's direct use of its NATO-member military forces to strike Russian military assets is seen as an unusual escalation of tensions. According to the BBC, this military intervention-such as shooting down the drone-is the first of its kind by Poland since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
NATO allies have been extremely cautious about the use of force, as direct involvement in the war in Ukraine could escalate the conflict. NATO, led by the United States, operates a collective defense system in which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Located in Eastern Europe, Poland shares a border to the northeast with Belarus, Russia's key ally, and to the southeast with Ukraine, which is at war with Russia. In response to the Russian drone's airspace violation, fighter jets were scrambled, leading to the temporary closure of Warsaw International Airport and other facilities.
In Ukraine, air raid alerts were issued for several hours in regions including Lviv and Volyn in the west, which border Poland, in the early morning of the same day.
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