Polish-Polish-Polish and Allied aircraft deployed threats of drone strikes in areas near Ukraine during a “preventive” operation in Polish airspace on Saturday, while airports in eastern Polish Lublin were closed.
The alarm lasted about two hours. This comes after multiple Russian drones crossed Poland on Wednesday, prompting NATO to send fighters to shoot it down and highlight long-term concerns about Russia’s war expansion in Ukraine for more than three years.
The Polish military’s Operations Command released on X on Saturday afternoon, with ground air defense and reconnaissance systems on high alert. It stressed that “these actions are preventive in nature” and aimed at ensuring Poland’s airspace and protecting its citizens. It cites drone strike threats in Ukraine’s border with Poland, but provides no further details.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced that “air prevention operations” have begun in Polish airspace due to the threat of Russian drones operating in areas near Ukraine. The Polish Aviation and Navigation Service said Lublin Airport “is closed to air traffic due to military aviation activities, and the Government Security Centre warned of air strikes in several border counties in the region.
Late Saturday, the military’s Operations Command wrote on X that the operation was “completed” and that the ground’s defense and reconnaissance systems had returned to normal.
Russia said it was not targeting Poland, while Moscow’s ally Belarus said the drone went astray due to being stuck. But European leaders have determined that the invasion was a deliberate provocation by Russia.
Polish aircraft have repeatedly fought over and over in recent months to patrol the country’s airspace associated with Russian air strikes in Ukraine, but these strikes usually occur overnight or early in the morning.
Romania said it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept a drone that briefly entered the airspace on Saturday afternoon.
“Drones did not fly over areas where they live, nor did they represent a danger of population safety,” the NATO member’s defense ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the expert team will search for potential debris. Romanian authorities have not specified where they believe the drone originated.
