Poland says it downed drones that violated its airspace during Russian bombardment of Ukraine

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish military said early Wednesday that it had downed drones that violated its airspace as Russia launched a wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that he had received a report from the Operational Command of the Army about “the shutting down of drones that entered our airspace and could constitute a threat.”

He said he informed the NATO Secretary General about actions undertaken by the Polish side.

Poland’s armed forces were on a heightened state of alert overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday because of what they described as “further massive airstrikes against targets located in Ukraine.”

Warsaw’s Chopin Airport warned passengers on its website that flight operations were on hold due to closure of the airspace over part of the country, but that the airport remained open.

Poland says Russian objects have entered its airspace before

Poland has complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine before.

In August, Poland’s defense minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone, and called it a provocation by Russia. In March, Poland scrambled jets after a Russian missile briefly passed through Polish air space on its way to a target in western Ukraine, and in 2022, a missile that was likely fired by Ukraine to intercept a Russian attack landed in Poland, killing two people.

Kyiv anxious over Russia-Belarus military drills

Joint military drills involving Russian and Belarusian troops are due to take place in Belarus starting Friday and will last until Sept. 16.

Troops from both countries will simulate repelling an attack, including airstrikes and sabotage, according to official reports of the games, dubbed “Zapad 2025,” or “West 2025.”

The aim is to showcase the close links between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russian military might, amid its 3½-year-old war in neighboring Ukraine.

The war games have drawn concerns in Kyiv and its Western allies of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which border Belarus. When Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops rolling into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, many of them crossed from Belarus.