NATO has launched an operation to protect its eastern flank following Russia's alleged deliberate violations of Polish airspace. Secretary General Mark Rutte announced this on Friday in a press conference with Supreme Allied Commander Alexus Grynkewich. The"Eastern Sentry" operation is intended to strengthen the defense capabilities of Europe's eastern flank through additional surveillance and air defense capabilities.

Rutte added that Russia's reckless behavior in the air was becoming increasingly common."This is reckless and unacceptable. We cannot allow Russian drones to intrude into Allied airspace," Rutte said at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The mission, which begins Friday evening, will involve a range of resources integrating air and ground bases. Allies such as Denmark, France, Great Britain, and Germany have so far committed to the mission, with more to join, Rutte added.

Grynkewich stated that the alliance would defend every inch of its territory."Poland and the citizens of all alliance members should be reassured by our swift response earlier this week and our important announcement here today," Grynkewich said at the same press conference. The operation, launched on Friday, will be flexible and cover the entire eastern flank—from the far north to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Grynkewich explained. It is modeled on the successful model of Baltic Sentry, an operation to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Already commitments from countries

Several NATO countries, including Germany, had previously pledged additional funding. For example, the German Bundeswehr will deploy four Eurofighter fighter jets instead of just two to participate in armed air defense flights over Poland. They are stationed at the Rostock-Laage air base and are expected to be available for air defense missions in Polish airspace at least until the end of the year.

France will provide three Rafale fighter jets to monitor the airspace on the eastern flank, while Denmark will provide two F-16s and a frigate.

Russian provocation or test?

The NATO airspace violation occurred on Wednesday, coinciding with a Russian attack on Ukraine. According to official reports, more than ten Russian Shahed drones, among others, flew into Polish airspace. Several of them were shot down. According to Western politicians, there are indications that the airspace violation was not accidental. However, it remains unclear whether the drones were programmed to destroy targets on NATO territory or were possibly intended merely as a provocation or test of NATO air defenses.

Rutte declined to commit to the issue on Friday evening. He said new information was being gained every day and the assessment was still ongoing. Whether the airspace violations were intentional or not played only a limited role, however."Russian drones have violated NATO airspace, that's the decisive factor," he said, calling this unacceptable.

According to NATO, the defense operation against the airspace violation on Wednesday included Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35s, Italian aircraft, and German Patriot air defense systems. A NATO AWACS special aircraft for airspace surveillance, as well as military tanker and transport aircraft, were also deployed. However, according to the German Bundeswehr, no direct use of weapons, i.e., the firing of Patriot guided missiles, took place. The German contingent in Rzeszow, like other allies, contributed to the overall situation assessment.