Unidentified drones disrupt Dutch troops during NATO exercises in Poland

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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.

Dutch troops taking part in NATO exercises in Poland encountered several unidentified drones and experienced communication disruptions, the Dutch defence ministry has confirmed.

The incident occurred during the Falcon Autumn exercises, which began on 5 October and involve around 1,800 troops from the Netherlands alongside counterparts from Poland and the United States.

Drones of unknown origin appeared as soldiers from the Dutch 11th Airborne Brigade were setting up camp at an abandoned airport. Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad (AD) reported that cars with Belarusian number plates were seen nearby shortly before the drones appeared over the base.

In a statement to public broadcaster NOS, the Dutch defence ministry confirmed the appearance of the drones and said that it had coincided with communication disruptions among troops.

The soldiers initially lacked counter-drone systems, which were flown in from the Netherlands shortly after the incident. The exercise was modified but not cancelled, and the drones eventually flew away.

“There was no immediate threat,” Brigadier General Frank Grandia told NOS. “We learned from this immediately and adapted right away..We know there are parties who are extremely interested in what we’re doing and are monitoring the exercises.”

Grandia also told AD that the incident had even been useful in helping Dutch forces adapt to such scenarios. The Polish authorities have not yet commented.

Poland, which neighbours Ukraine, has seen its airspace regularly violated by drones, most notably on the night of 9-10 September, when around 20 Russian drones entered its territory.

That prompted Poland and its NATO allies to scramble air defences – including Dutch aircraft – and shoot down some of the drones. In response, a number of NATO countries, including the Netherlands, have pledged to enhance their presence in Poland.

The current exercises in Poland “clearly demonstrate that we are making our preparations and that we want to prevent Russia from taking things even further”, Grandia told AD.

Other drone incidents have also recently taken place in Germany, Norway and Denmark, where they briefly shut down Copenhagen Airport. Estonia, meanwhile, reported a violation of its airspace by three Russian fighter jets.

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: 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade/Facebook

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.