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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
President Karol Nawrocki has approved the deployment in Poland of NATO forces as part of the alliance’s response to this week’s incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace.
In a brief statement issued on Sunday, Nawrocki’s National Security Bureau (BBN) announced that the president had “signed a resolution granting consent for the presence on the territory of Poland of a component of foreign forces from NATO as reinforcement of Poland as part of Operation Eastern Sentry”.
Eastern Sentry is the name given to a NATO operation, announced on Friday, that aims to strengthen the alliance’s eastern flank – and especially its air defences – in the wake of the drone incursions.
Prezydent RP Karol Nawrocki podpisał postanowienie o wyrażeniu zgody na pobyt na terytorium RP komponentu wojsk obcych Państw-Stron Organizacji Traktatu Północnoatlantyckiego jako wzmocnienie RP w ramach operacji „Eastern Sentry”.
Postanowienie Pana Prezydenta ma charakter…
— BBN (@BBN_PL) September 14, 2025
The BBN’s statement gave no further details of the deployment of foreign forces in Poland, noting that “the president’s resolution is classified”.
While announcing Eastern Sentry on Friday, NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and the alliance’s supreme commander in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, noted that France would provide three Rafale fighter jets, Germany four of its Eurofighters, and Denmark two F-16s and an anti-air warfare frigate.
“These forces and more will reinforce existing allied forces and enhance NATO’s deterrence and defensive posture where and when needed,” declared NATO.
The Netherlands has also said that it will accelerate its previously announced deployment of Patriot air defence systems to Poland, while the Czech Republic has sent a helicopter unit.
Speaking on Saturday, Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz welcomed NATO’s “tough, clear response” to Russia’s actions. He said that Eastern Sentry would be “a very serious operation, probably one of the largest in NATO’s history”.
Kosniak-Kamusz added that the mission would aim to create multi-layered air defence, involving various types of equipment. “It is not just anti-drone, but applies to missiles, aviation, all types of threats that may arise,” he explained, quoted by news website Onet.
Eight NATO member states have already declared willingness to join the operation, said Kosniak-Kamysz, while “others are preparing to make such declarations”.
Poland already hosts military personnel and equipment from other NATO member states on its territory, including around 10,000 US troops, Dutch F-35s, and German Patriot batteries.
President @EmmanuelMacron is sending three French Rafale fighter jets to help protect Polish airspace following this week's incursion by Russian drones.
"We will not yield to Russia’s growing intimidation," he declared https://t.co/egsI2ckNnW
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 11, 2025
On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday this week, around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace across the borders from Belarus and Ukraine. Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled in response, shooting some of the drones down.
The incident was the first time NATO has been forced to defend its own airspace in such a manner, and Poland condemned it as an “unprecedented act of aggression” by Russia. It announced that it would invoke NATO’s Article 4, which triggers consultations between the allies.
However, while Rutte and many leaders of NATO countries have supported Poland’s stance, US President Donald Trump declared that the incursions “could have been a mistake” by Russia. The Polish government has strongly rejected that possibility, saying that the incident was clearly deliberate.
Poland’s government has rejected a claim by Donald Trump that this week’s incursions by Russian drones into Polish airspace "could have been a mistake”.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t," says PM @donaldtusk https://t.co/06xWUmLoCN
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 12, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Mikołaj Bujak/KPRP
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
