Warsaw, September 11: Poland’s military said on Wednesday it shot down drones that crossed into its airspace during Russian strikes on western Ukraine, prompting Warsaw to scramble allied aircraft and shut four airports, including the capital’s main international hub.
“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation carrying out strikes on targets located in Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects,” Poland’s Operational Command said on X, adding that operations were under way to identify and neutralise them.
The Polish armed forces said their air defences and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on the highest alert, while Polish and allied aircraft patrolled the skies.
Authorities closed Warsaw Chopin Airport, Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport, Warsaw Modlin Airport and Lublin Airport. A U.S. Federal Aviation Administration notice cited “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security” as the reason for the closures.
Ukraine’s air force earlier reported that Russian drones had crossed into NATO-member Poland’s airspace and posed a threat to the southeastern city of Zamosc, but the statement was later removed from its Telegram channel.
The incident comes a day after Polish President Karol Nawrocki, speaking alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin remained willing to expand military aggression beyond Ukraine. “We do not trust Vladimir Putin’s good intentions,” Nawrocki said.
Poland, a staunch supporter of Kyiv in its fight against Moscow’s invasion, hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees and serves as a vital transit point for Western humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
