Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!
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.
Poland has introduced air-traffic restrictions in the east of the country – including a ban on certain types of civilian flights – in response to the violation of its airspace by Russian drones.
Late on Wednesday, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) announced that, at the request of the operational command of Poland’s armed forces, it had introduced the restrictions from 10 p.m. that night.
#NOTAM
Na wniosek Dowódcy Operacyjnego RSZ, w celu zapewnienia bezpieczeństwa państwa, od 10 września 2025 r. (22:00 UTC) do 9 grudnia 2025 r. (23.59 UTC) zostało wprowadzone ograniczenie ruchu lotniczego we wschodniej części Polski w postaci strefy ograniczonej.Szczegółowe… pic.twitter.com/iK4hBSTQsj
— Dowództwo Operacyjne RSZ (@DowOperSZ) September 11, 2025
While the measures are in place, all non-military flights will be banned between sunset and sunrise in a section of Poland’s airspace stretching along its eastern borders with Ukraine and Belarus.
It was over those borders that around 20 Russian military drones entered Poland on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, some of which were shot down as Polish and allied NATO forces responded to the incursion.
Under the new restrictions, between sunrise and sunset, certain types of civilian planes will be allowed to operate in Poland’s eastern airspace.
Those include manned flights that have filed a flight plan, are equipped with a transponder capable of operating in modes A and C or S, and which maintain continuous air-ground voice communications.
Poland has shot down a number of Russian military drones that entered its airspace in what the government has called an "unprecedented act of aggression".
"This is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over a NATO country," says @donaldtusk https://t.co/zG29zevDWy
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 10, 2025
Other types of flights permitted are those with special call signs relating to, for example medical evacuation or the transport of state officials such as the president.
At all times, civilian unmanned aircraft – i.e. drones – are banned from the area. The restrictions can remain in place for a period of not longer than three months, notes PANSA.
By Thursday morning, Poland’s interior ministry had confirmed the discovery of the remains of 16 drones on Polish territory. Searches for further wreckage are ongoing.
Poland and its NATO allies have condemned Russia’s “unprecedented act of aggression”. However, the Russian defence ministry has denied deliberately targeting Polish territory. Warsaw has also launched consultations within NATO with the aim of launching the alliance’s Article 4 process.
Poland has announced that it is triggering NATO's Article 4 in response to last night's violation of its airspace by Russian drones, which were shot down.
"This is a confrontation that Russia has declared against the entire free world," says @donaldtusk https://t.co/h2jhsmvkEN
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 10, 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: Piotr Szafarski/MON (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)
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.
