Poland, according to government sources, shot down several drones that entered the NATO member's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine on Wednesday. It is the first known case of a member of the Western military alliance firing shots since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."Never since World War II have we been so close to open conflict," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in parliament.

The political situation has changed, he said. He therefore requested consultations with NATO allies. Tusk invoked Article 4 of the alliance agreement, which provides for consultations within the military alliance if one of its members feels threatened. Several leading Western politicians accused Russia of escalation and demonstratively declared their solidarity with Poland.

According to Tusk, the drones were Russian. Polish airspace was violated 19 times during the night. A large number of the drones entered from Belarus. The country is one of Moscow's closest allies and, like Ukraine, borders Poland. According to an insider, Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance aircraft, and tanker aircraft operated jointly by NATO were involved in the defense operation. According to the Polish Interior Ministry, seven drones and rocket debris were found at various locations by midday. The origin of the objects has not yet been determined. According to Polish sources, there were no casualties.

"We are dealing with a large-scale provocation," Tusk declared."We are prepared to repel such provocations. The situation is serious, and we must undoubtedly prepare for various scenarios." The Polish military command described the incident as an "act of aggression" and spoke of a "real threat" to the population. Several airports, including Chopin International Airport in the capital Warsaw, temporarily suspended traffic before the military declared the operation over in the morning. The population, particularly in the border area, was urged to stay at home for safety reasons during the incident.

Poland's Foreign Minister:"Intentional action by Russia"

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he believed this was "a deliberate action by Russia." "We have no doubt that this was not unintentional," Sikorski told reporters on Wednesday. It was an"unprecedented attack, not only on Polish territory, but also on NATO and EU territory."

Sikorski pointed out that Russian drones had previously entered Polish airspace. This time, however, the situation was different."If one or two drones do this, it could be due to a technical error," Sikorski said. In this case, however, 19 airspace violations were recorded."It's simply inconceivable that this could have been unintentional," he added.

Polish representation for Moscow Myth

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Defense Ministry had debunked claims that it had deliberately directed drones into Polish territory as a myth. While the Defense Ministry had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine, it had no plans to strike targets in Poland. The Foreign Ministry announced that it was ready to hold talks with the Polish side to clarify the incident.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski accused Moscow and Belarus of launching a disinformation campaign in his country regarding the drone incident. The drones' entry into Polish airspace was a planned action by Russia, Gawkowski emphasized. Russia had recently stated that it had not planned any attacks on targets in Poland. The military of Belarus, a close Russian ally, announced that it had shot down stray drones. Belarus had also informed Poland and Lithuania about the drone approach.

Since the war began in February 2022, there have been isolated incidents of Russian missiles or drones entering the airspace of Ukraine's neighbors. However, this never happened on such a large scale, and no reports of downing have been reported. In 2022, two people died in Poland from a stray Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile.

After the incident on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of"a further escalation." Russia deployed a total of 415 drones and 40 missiles against Ukraine overnight. At least eight of the Iranian-made drones were aimed at Poland. It was not an accident, he said."This sets an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe." A strong and joint response by "Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans, and the United States" is needed.

Drones are game changers

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sees the alleged deliberate Russian intrusion into Polish airspace as a kind of turning point that must not go unchallenged."What happened in Poland is a game changer," Kallas said in an interview with journalists from Brussels. A strong and decisive response is now necessary. She is also currently examining the option of convening European defense and foreign ministers to discuss possible courses of action.

Regarding Russia's possible motivation, Kallas said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin clearly wants to test the Europeans and show that he can simply do things like this. He's becoming bolder each time because the reactions so far haven't been strong enough.

Kallas cited the ongoing planning process for the 19th package of EU-Russia sanctions as a starting point for a decisive EU response. It is expected to culminate in a concrete legislative proposal from the EU Commission in the coming days. These would then have to be adopted by the governments of the member states. Kallas said that, in her view, the new package must be very strong. This is because it concerns not only Ukraine, but also the EU.

Trump spoke on the phone with Poland's president

US President Donald Trump accused Russia of violating Polish airspace."What about Russia violating Polish airspace with drones?" Trump wrote Wednesday in a short message on his online service Truth Social. He added:"Let's go!" What Trump meant by this remained unclear. That evening (CEST), Polish President Karol Nawrocki spoke with Trump by phone, as the PAP news agency reported,"in an effort to mobilize international support." Nawrocki convened the Polish National Security Council for Thursday afternoon. Trump had received Nawrocki at the White House a week ago and assured him of his support for Poland's security.

Vienna stands"on Poland's side"

Chancellor Christian Stocker spoke of a "serious and unacceptable escalation." "We stand in full solidarity with Poland," the chancellor posted on X. For Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the incident is"unacceptable." "Putin continues to escalate the situation and shows the entire world that he has no interest in peace," the foreign minister responded. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner wrote on X that it is now important"to react prudently and not allow the situation to escalate further militarily."