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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.
This is a breaking news story and may be updated as events unfold.
Poland and its NATO allies have shot down a number of Russian military drones that entered Polish airspace overnight. There are so far no reports of injuries, though one house was hit by falling debris from a destroyed drone.
“An unprecedented violation of Polish airspace has occurred,” declared defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in the early hours on Wednesday. “This is an act of aggression that has created a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
“Polish and allied radar systems tracked several objects that violated our airspace. The operational commander of the armed forces decided to neutralise them. The drones that could have posed a threat were shot down,” he added, also thanking Poland’s NATO allies for their support.
Na rozkaz Dowódcy Operacyjnego RSZ natychmiast uruchomiono procedury obronne.
Polskie i sojusznicze systemy radiolokacyjne śledziły kilkanaście obiektów, które naruszyły przestrzeń powietrzną. Wobec tych, które mogły stanowić zagrożenie, Dowódca Operacyjny RSZ podjął decyzję o…
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) September 10, 2025
At an emergency government meeting called later in the morning, Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that “this is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO country”.
Speaking later to a specially called session of parliament, Tusk reported that at least three drones had been confirmed as shot down, with a fourth also likely to have been shot down.
“It’s also possible that more were shot down. Due to weather conditions and the nature of the operation, verification will take some time,” added Tusk, quoted by news website Onet.
However, the prime minister reassured the public that “there is no reason to panic” and that the defence “procedure worked, the decision-making process was flawless, and the threat was eliminated thanks to the decisive action of commanders, soldiers, pilots, and allies”.
Tusk also confirmed that Poland is in contact with NATO and individual allied countries over the incident. The government is also coordinating with President Karol Nawrocki, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces and held his own emergency security meeting this morning.
💬 Premier @DonaldTusk w #KPRM: Jest to pierwszy przypadek, kiedy doszło do zestrzelania rosyjskich dronów nad terytorium państwa NATO i dlatego wszyscy nasi sojusznicy tę sytuację traktują bardzo poważnie.
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) September 10, 2025
Shortly before 8 a.m. local time, the operational command of Poland’s armed forces confirmed that it had concluded operations relating to the violations of Polish airspace and that the search for remains and possible impact sites of the drones was underway.
Even before then, some crash sites had already been located by police, including in in the municalities of Czosnówka, Wyryki and Cześniki, all of which are located near the border with Ukraine.
An image shared by local newspaper Nowy Tydzień shows that the roof of a house in Wyryki was destroyed by falling debris from a drone that had been shot down, reportedly by a Polish F-16 jet. No one was injured.
The incidents took place during the latest round of Russian attacks on Ukraine, Poland’s eastern neighbour. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shared an image of some of the drones being tracked flying across Ukraine and into Polish airspace.
“Russia deliberately, thoughtfully, and with specific intentions attacked Poland with drones,” claimed Podolyak. “This is, without a doubt, a completely conscious strategy to test the ‘system of possible Western responses’ and prove that it does not exist.”
Zelensky himself announced that at least eight Russian drones had been detected heading towards Poland. “Today, another step up in escalation occurred – Russian-Iranian shahed [suicide drones] operated in Polish airspace, in NATO airspace,” wrote Zelensky.
Tusk also revealed that “a significant portion of the drones came directly from Belarus” rather than Ukraine, which he indicated confirmed the deliberate nature of the incursions.
Russia deliberately, thoughtfully, and with specific intentions attacked Poland with drones. This is, without a doubt, a completely conscious strategy. To test the "system of possible Western responses" and prove that it does not exist. To shock Ukraine's European partners,… pic.twitter.com/rhk6ylRTwT
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 10, 2025
Four Polish airports – Chopin and Modlin in Warsaw, as well as Rzeszów and Lublin – were shut down overnight as the incursions took place. All have now resumed operation.
The authorities have warned anyone who comes across possible wreckage of drones not to approach and instead to contact the police.
In recent weeks, there have been at least three cases of Russian drones entering Polish airspace, though none of those were deemed threatening enough to merit shooting them down.
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: MON/X
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.
Poland shoots down Russian drones that entered its airspace in “unprecedented violation”
