A Polish air force F-16 is flanked on either side by Dassault Rafale fighter jets as they perform a flyover during the National Army Day military parade in Warsaw, Poland, on August 15, 2025.
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Poland’s military on Wednesday decried an “unprecedented violation” as the country’s airspace was breached by a number of Russian drones that were shot down.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Poland’s military said it scrambled its own and NATO air defenses to take down drones that entered its airspace amid a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine.
In a social media post, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in constant communication with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and with the country’s allies.
The incident marks the first time that Poland engaged assets in its airspace since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The Russian drone development on Wednesday comes as the European Union steps up its efforts to impose what would be the first coordinated transatlantic measures against the Kremlin since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Wednesday said that Russian drones entered Polish airspace during what he described as a “massive” attack on Ukraine. In a post on X, he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin keeps escalating and expanding his war, “and testing the West.”
The Ukrainian official called for partners to “urgently strengthen” Ukraine’s air defense and said sanctions “must be ramped up without delay.”
Russia has not yet commented on the incident.
‘We need more sanctions’
In a state of the union speech on Wednesday morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprecedented” incursion into Poland’s airspace and said that Europe “stands in full solidarity” with Warsaw.
Her comments prompted a standing ovation from European lawmakers.
“Putin’s message is clear. And our response must be clear too,” von der Leyen said. “We need more pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table. We need more sanctions. We are now working on the 19th package in coordination with partners.”
Von der Leyen said the 27-nation bloc was looking at phasing out Russian fossil fuels faster, noting that the EU was also looking at the country’s “shadow fleet and at third countries,” as well as at further support for Ukraine.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
