Poland, NATO leaders condemn Russian drones in Polish airspace
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Officials inspect damage to a house destroyed by debris from a shot down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on Sept. 10. Photo: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images
Poland and NATO forces shot down more than a dozen Russian drones that "repeatedly" violated the Polish airspace late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Polish officials said.
Why it matters: European and NATO leaders condemned the incident as one of the most serious escalations by Moscow since its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
- In response to the incident, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took the rare step of invoking the NATO Treaty's Article 4, calling for consultations among the alliance.
- Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, said in a post on X: "We stand by our NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory."
Catch up quick: Poland's military said on X at 7:42am local time (1:42am ET) that the Polish and allied response to "violations of Polish airspace" had concluded, but the search for fallen drones was ongoing.
- "Ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to standard operational activities," per the post.
- It thanked NATO air command and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, which provided F-35 fighters, for helping in the response.
- The Polish military on X said the airspace violation was "an act of aggression that poses a real threat to the safety of our citizens."
What they're saying: NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters Wednesday a "full assessment of the incident" is ongoing.
- What is clear, though, "is that the violation last night is not an isolated incident," he said.
- Rutte also expressed confidence in NATO's counter-drone defenses: "Last night showed we are able to defend every inch of NATO territory including, of course, its airspace."
State of play: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on X accused Russia of attacking Poland "less than a week after President Trump hosted" Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House.
- "This is an act of war, and we are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin's continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations," he said.
- "I urge President Trump to respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia," Wilson added.
- "Putin is no longer content just losing in Ukraine while bombing mothers and babies, he is now directly testing our resolve in NATO territory."
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on CNN he hadn't been briefed on the matter, but it "would be incredibly serious if there were Russian aerial assets flying over a NATO country."
The other side: Russia's Defense Ministry said its drones had not intentionally trespassed on Polish airspace.
- "We are ready to hold consultations with the Polish Ministry of Defense on this issue," its statement said, per the Associated Press.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Axios' Colin Demarest contributed reporting.
