| Part ofViolations of non-combatant airspaces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
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  Cześniki Czosnówka Krzywowierzba-Kolonia Wielki Łan Wohyń Wyhalew Wyryki-Wola Mniszków Oleśno Kaliningrad (Russia) Ukraine Bychawka Trzecia Zabłocie-Kolonia Rabiany Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą Czyżów Smyków Sobótka Choiny Korsze Wodynie Biała Góra 2025 Russian drone incursion into Poland (Poland) Locations ofdrone hits and falls, and associated debris | |
| Date | 9–10 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | 23:30–06:45 (CEST) |
| Duration | 7 hours 15 minutes |
| Location | Eastern, central and northernPoland |
| Type | Airspace intrusion bymilitary drones |
| Motive | Unknown |
| Outcome |
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| Countries involved | |
On 9 September 2025, about 11:30 p.m.CEST,[4] 19[5] to 23[6] unarmeddrones enteredPoland'sairspace after allegedly being launched fromRussia. The incursion triggered aQuick Reaction Alert; thePolish Air Force and otherNATO militariesscrambled aircraft.[7][4][8] Up to four drones were confirmed to have been shot down,[1] most by theDutch Air Force. Poland's prime ministerDonald Tusk said that the drones "posed a direct threat".[5] The airspace overWarsaw International Airport,Warsaw Modlin Airport,Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport, andLublin Airport was closed while the Russian drone fleet was in Polish airspace.[9][10]
Shortly thereafter, the Polish government invokedArticle 4 of the NATO treaty.[5] Polish deputy prime ministerRadosław Sikorski said, "We are dealing with an unprecedented case of an attack not only on the territory of Poland but also on the territory of NATO and theEU".[11] After the incident, Russia andBelarus conductedjoint military exercises, the largest since the start of theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[12] In response to the drone incursion, NATO launchedOperation Eastern Sentry on 12 September.
Polish newspaperRzeczpospolita claimed that the number of Russian drones was around 23;[2] they entered Poland via Belarus.[13] Belarus warned Poland andLithuania before the incursion that several drones affected byelectronic warfare in Ukraine passed through Belarusian territory.[14][15]
SeveralNATO countries also took part in the operation to shoot down the drones, aiding the PolishF-16s. The deployment included DutchF-35 Lightning II, Italianairborne early warning and control aircraft, and a BelgianAirbus A330 MRTTaerial tanker.[16] GermanMIM-104 Patriotsurface-to-air systems in Poland were placed on high alert[17][18] and tracked the path of the drone wave.[19] Out of the drones that were neutralized, most were shot down by Dutch F-35 aircraft.[2][20] The last interception occurred at 06:45CEST.[21] Poland's First MinisterDonald Tusk, among other sources, reported that up to four drones were destroyed by allied forces,[1] although he did not rule out the possibility that more had been brought down.[22] These actions mark the first time Poland, or any NATO country, has engaged and downed Russian assets in its airspace since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[5][23]
Locations of drones and debris included several sites near the Polish eastern border (Bychawka Trzecia,Cześniki,Czosnówka,Krzywowierzba-Kolonia,Wielki Łan,Wohyń,Wyhalew,Wyryki-Wola,Zabłocie-Kolonia, and nearRabiany), several in south-eastern Poland (Czyżów,Smyków,Sobótka), as well as a field nearMniszków and the town ofNowe Miasto nad Pilicą in central Poland,[21] andOleśno in northern Poland.[24][25][26] AnAIM-120 AMRAAM missile fired at a drone by a Polish F-16 fighter went stray and struck a residential building in Wyryki-Wola,Lublin Voivodeship, destroying the roof of the house, but did not explode.[27] Damage on civilian property was also reported at Czosnówka,[28] while another drone fell on an undisclosed military base.[29]
Debris from an air-to-air missile was found more than a week later inChoiny, some 70 kilometres from the Ukrainian border; almost at the same time thatLatvian authorities recovered fragments from a Russian drone on a beach near the western village of Varve,Ventspils district, thought to belong to a drone shot down over Poland.[30][31] On 20 September a drone made ofstyrofoam was discovered by a farmer in a marsh atKorsze,Kętrzyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, likely the last Russian drone that entered the country during the night of September 9–10.[32][33] The type of drone is identical to that found at Oleśno.[32]
The next day, a drone and debris from other two drones were recovered from different locations; inMasovian Voivodeship, mushroom collectors came upon fragments of a drone in the village ofWodynie,Siedlce County, while a similar finding of debris was made almost at the same time in a forest near the village ofBiała Góra,Białobrzegi County. Another drone appeared in a forest inSulmice,Zamość County, Lublin Voivodeship.[34] By the end of September, an F-35A from the 313th Squadron of the Royal Dutch Air Force received akill mark for the successful action against the Russian drones in Poland.[35]
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At least some of the drones used in the incursion were of theGerbera type.[36] Others were made ofpolystyrene rather thanplywood. The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin said that the recovered drones were not armed and did not contain explosive materials; it described them as "decoy drones".[37] According to analysts Justin Bronk ofRUSI and Justin Crump of the risk and intelligence company Sibylline quoted byBBC Verify, "...the scale of the incursion suggests it was almost certainly a deliberate act on Russia's part."[36]
Following the 9–10 September incursion,Rzeczpospolita stated that modernisation of the "SkyCTRL" anti-drone system in Poland had been delayed for eighteen months by thePolish Ministry of Defence (MON) due to lack of funds, and that the system was effectively inactive.Rzeczpospolita stated its expectation that MON would find the needed funding, but that several months would be needed for implementation.[2]
As of 12 September 2025[update], the wrecks of 17 drones had been identified.Marcin Przydacz, the Polish presidential advisor on international affairs, confirmed that 21 drones crossed into Polish airspace during the incursion.[29]
The damaging of the residential building in Wyryki caused a scandal domestically, withPrime MinisterDonald Tusk being accused of attempting to cover up that the damage was caused by a Polish missile; furthermore,PresidentKarol Nawrocki and theNational Security Bureau had allegedly not been informed of the Polish origin of the missile.[38]
On 12 September 2025, Poland gave an emergency briefing to theUN Security Council about the incident.[39][40] The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding AffairsRosemary DiCarlo stated that Poland had reported that during the night of 9 September, 19 Russian drones had entered Polish airspace reportedly causing damage in residential areas of two Polish villages,Wyryki andCzosnówka; no casualties were reported. Belarus had warned Poland as some of the drones approached its airspace. Belarus reported it had intercepted several drones over its territory, stating the drones had been deflected by Ukrainian counter-drone measures causing them to overfly its territory.[28][41]
A number ofrepresentatives to the UN present at the briefing made statements, often on the broader issues of theRusso-Ukrainian War rather than specifically on the drone incursion. No vote took place at this briefing meeting.[41]
The French representative stated that one drone had reached theGdańsk region, more than 700 km (430 mi) from the Ukrainian border.[f] The Russian Federation representative stated that the Polish authorities had acknowledged that they had not found any explosive warheads on the drones. He stated that the range of drones used in the attack on Ukrainian military targets that night did not exceed 700 km (430 mi) which made it impossible for them to have reached Polish territory, and Russia was willing to engage in professional discussions with the Polish MOD to understand what had taken place. The Polish representative stated that Polish territorial integrity has been purposely violated by Russian drones on an unprecedented scale, and Poland knew that it was not a mistake.[41]
Poland – Prime minister Donald Tusk requested the invocation ofArticle 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.[42]
Russia – Andrey Ordash, Russia'schargé d'affaires in Poland, stated that the accusations of the incursion were groundless.[43]
Belarus – Intercepted purportedly stray drones.[4]Pavel Muraveiko, theChief of the General Staff of theArmed Forces of Belarus, said that Belarus had informed Poland and Lithuania ahead of time about drones being out of control due to electronic jamming. He added that "The Republic of Belarus will continue to fulfill its obligations within the framework of the exchange of information on the air situation with the Republic of Poland and the Baltic countries".[14]
Belgium – Defense ministerTheo Francken said "Russian violations of NATO airspace are unacceptable". He also expressed solidarity and support with Poland.[44]
Bulgaria – PresidentRumen Radev wrote onX, stating that "Violating the airspace of sovereign Poland leads to a dangerous escalation of tension between Russia and NATO".[45] Prime MinisterRosen Zhelyazkov said "Our position is clear and aligned with that of our allies. We express the Alliance's determination to take all necessary measures foreseen by the treaty".[46]
European Union – PresidentUrsula von der Leyen stated that the EU stood "in full solidarity with Poland".[4] TheHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Security Policy/Vice-PresidentKaja Kallas had also released a statement in support of Poland and condemnation of Russia.[47][48]
Finland – Prime ministerPetteri Orpo condemned Russia's actions and expressed "full support to Poland."[49]
France – PresidentEmmanuel Macron called the incursion "unacceptable".[4]
Germany – Defense ministerBoris Pistorius said "[t]hese drones were quite obviously deliberately directed on this course—in order to fly into Ukraine". He also expressed support for Poland's requested Article 4 consultations.[50]
Hungary – Prime ministerViktor Orbán expressed full solidarity with Poland, calling the violation of Poland's territorial integrity "unacceptable".[51]
Italy – Prime ministerGiorgia Meloni expressed full solidarity with Poland for the "serious and unacceptable violation" of its airspace.[52]
Moldova – PresidentMaia Sandu condemned the attack on Ukraine and the violation of Polish airspace, noting that Moldova had suffered similar incidents. She called for greater support for Ukraine and investments in stronger air defense in Europe.[53]
Norway –Norway's Foreign Minister,Espen Barth Eide, stated his belief that the incident was a Russian attempt to probe NATO during a period of heightened tension.[54]
Romania – PresidentNicușor Dan and defense ministerIonuț Moșteanu both declared that Romania stands in full solidarity with Poland. President Dan further added that "Russia must be stopped and pressured to come to the negotiation table".[55] Romania furthermore scrambled fighter jets to monitor a group of Russian drones near its border, though no drones entered Romanian airspace.[56]
Spain – Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez wrote on X "Russia's violation of European airspace is unacceptable. We express our complete solidarity with Poland, which can always count on Spain in the defense of our common peace and security.".[57] Minister of Foreign AffairsJosé Manuel Albares said on X "I just spoke with my Polish counterpart. I conveyed Spain's solidarity with him in the face of Russia's flagrant violation of Polish airspace. Europeans and allies are united. We protect the peace and security of Europe and the people of Europe.".[58]
Ukraine – PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy released a statement in which he stated that the incursion could not be called an "accident".[59]
United Kingdom – Prime MinisterKeir Starmer described the drone incursion as "deeply concerning" and as "an extremely reckless move" by Russia. The UK Defence Secretary,John Healey, described it as "a new level of hostility against Europe." He also stated that he had asked the UK armed forces to "look at options to bolster NATO's air defence over Poland," adding, "We see what Putin is doing. Yet again he is testing us. Yet again we will stand firm."[60][61]
United States – Ambassador to NATOMatthew Whitaker said "We stand by our [NATO] Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory."[62] PresidentDonald Trump posted onTruth Social, "What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!".[63]
A number of countries have pledged military support for Poland following the drone incursion:
Czech Republic has sent a special operations team consisting of threeMi-171Sh helicopters and around 100 soldiers.[64][65] France has deployed threeDassault Rafale fighters to Poland to assist in defending their airspace.[66]
Netherlands supplied Patriot,NASAMS systems, andcounter-drone equipment, as well as 300 soldiers.[67][68] Norway is planning to sendF-35 fighters to Poland as part of Operation Eastern Sentry.[69]
Sweden urgently[68][70][71] sent moreGripen fighters andair defense systems to Poland.[72] Ukraine will provide Poland with anti-drone training.[73] United Kingdom is considering re-deploying up to sixEurofighter Typhoon fighters to Poland.[74]On 9 September 2025, Polish Prime MinisterDonald Tusk announced that Poland would closeits border with Belarus at midnight on 11 September, citingnational security concerns over aggressive military tactics that were to take place near the Polish border during theZapad 2025 exercises. Polish Interior MinisterMarcin Kierwiński said the border would only be reopened when the government was certain that there was no longer a threat to Polish citizens. NATO and neighboring countries like Lithuania have also strengthened their border security in response to the exercises.Relations between Poland and Belarus have been increasingly strained since theRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with both countries recently arresting each other's nationals on espionage charges, further escalating tensions. Belarus condemned the closure, describing it as an "abuse" ofPoland's geographic position.[75] The border was closed on September 12.[76]
The border closure blocked theChina-Europe Railway Express freight route (also known as New Eurasian Land Bridge) which uses the now-closedMałaszewicze border crossing. The route carries about 3.7% of EU-China trade, which will have to switch to slower routes orair freight. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said "We hope Poland will take effective measures to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the Express and the stability of international industrial and supply chains."[77]
Until 9 December, Poland also banned drones and restricted small and recreational aircraft near its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine, from about 26 to 46 km (16 to 29 mi) inland, and up toflight level FL095 (9,500 feet (2.9 km)) so it would not generally affect commercial air flights. Crewed aircraft with a flight plan, transponders and two-way communications would be permitted in daylight hours.[78]
On 12 September 2025, NATO Secretary GeneralMark Rutte announced that action to protect the alliance's eastern borders would begin in the following days, involving military forces from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others under the name of Eastern Sentry. Rutte said that "Russia's recklessness in the air, along our eastern flank, is increasing in frequency" and that the mission would be "flexible and agile". The operation's assets will include twoF-16s and a Danish anti-air frigate, along with threeRafale jets from France and fourEurofighters from Germany. Rutte added that "Although the immediacy of our focus is on Poland, this situation transcends the border of one nation. What affects one ally affects us all." Eastern Sentry is based upon the already ongoing Baltic Sentry, an initiative launched in response to the sabotage of cables in theBaltic Sea.[79][80]
At a European meeting inBrussels on 15 October, Sikorski said that all Putin had done was to consolidate Western opinion against him, and that the incursion was "tactically stupid and unproductive". He also pointedly remarked that “He’s [Putin's] been at war with us, but we didn’t acknowledge it because it seemed too preposterous and too strange". On 23 October EU leaders were expected to endorse a strategy to protect Europe from a foreign invasion by 2030, the drone defense elements of which were expected to be rebranded given the initial simplistic nomenclature.[81][82]
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