Here is what to know about Poland to shoot down Russian drones

Early Wednesday morning, I dropped Poland several Russian aircraft aircraft He violated the airspace during a huge blow against Western Ukraine. The Polish military operation, confirmed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk through a message on social media in the early morning hours, represents a turning point in Warsaw’s participation in the conflict that affected the region for more than two and a half years. The Polish Defense Agency mentioned that there are more than ten things coming from the Ukrainian airspace Violation “The act of aggression.”

Poland calls Article 4 of NATO

In response to the raid, Poland activated Article 4 of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty, and requested immediate consultations with the allies. Tusk urgently held a meeting of the Council of Ministers at 8 am local time, while maintaining continuous contact with the coalition Secretary -General, Mark Retty, to coordinate the political and diplomatic response.

Article 4 allows NATO member seam consultations whenever it believes that its security, regional safety, or political independence is threatened. Unlike Article 5, which provides for collective military action in the event of an armed attack, Article 4 does not force the immediate military action, but its revitalization constitutes a major political escalation, because it emphasizes the unity of the alliance in responding to the threats against NATO members.

Poland was already at a state of high alert for the transgressions of potential aircraft since at least November 2022, when a reckless Ukrainian missile accidentally hit a village in the south of the country, killing two people. However, so far, there have been no registered cases of Polish defense systems or the drone on national lands. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky Claim On Wednesday, “no less than eight” drones were a witness of Iranian manufacture, “directed towards Poland” during the night attack, indicating that the penetration into the Polish air field was intended.

NATO stimulant defense

Residents of the Polish regions affected by hearing explosions in the sky reported during the night, followed by the stimulation of warning alarms. This alert was specifically operated during a large -scale Russian attack on the western regions of Ukraine, especially those in Vollyn and LVIV, which directly limit Poland.

According to the information issued by the Polish military leadership, national air defense systems and NATO were activated immediately after the discovery of unmanned aircraft radar into the Polish airspace. The objection process continued for several hours, as the armed forces are things that are considered dangerous using air defense systems. The search for drones continues in the eastern parts of the country as of midday on Wednesday.

Airports are temporarily closed

The intervention has led to the temporary closure of four airports, including Warsaw Chopin and Lurbreen, as well as the Rzeszów Airport, which has become a decisive center for sending Western military aid to Ukraine in the past two years. Federal Aviation Department of the United States certain The temporary closure of Polish airports from “unplanned military activity is related to national security.”

The Russian drone also hit eastern Ukraine: according to BBC reports Quoted by local Ukrainian officials, 24 people were killed and 19 people were injured in an air strike on a village in the Donetsk area, where the victims were standing in a line to collect their pensions. The accident comes amid an intense stage in particular of the conflict, as Moscow forces are making a slow but fixed insult in many Donetsk, in western Ukraine. Meanwhile, diplomatic attempts to reach the peace agreement have stopped mainly, and communications between Washington and Moscow in recent months have not led to tangible results.

Increasing tensions

The accident comes at a time when a specific tension in the area. Just 24 hours before Poland’s drone dropped Russia, the Polish President warned during a press conference in Helsinki that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be ready to invade other countries after the aggression against Ukraine. The timing of incursion takes greater importance when one considers that on Friday, September 13, Russia and Belarus will launch joint military exercises called “Zabad”, which has already sparked regional security concerns.

Poland announced on Tuesday that it was Close its borders with Belarus In response to what Warsaw calls “very aggressive”, in addition to the increasing number of provocations by Moscow and Mings. The neighboring Lithuania also decided to tighten the border controls, a sign of vigilance between NATO member countries that border Russia and Belarus.

The Wednesday incident also comes at an accurate time for international diplomacy: the US President Donald Trump Declare During the weekend, he was ready to move to the second stage of sanctions against Russia after months of unsuccessful negotiations of the peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev. The solution to drones on Polish lands is now risking an increase in the complexity of any mediation efforts.

This story was originally appeared on Italy wireless It was translated from Italian.