Poland's armed forces down multiple Russian drones in airspace violation

Multiple drones were shot down over Poland's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine in what the country's central command called "an act of aggression."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said an operation was underway responding to "multiple violations" of Polish airspace as Russian forces attacked parts of Ukraine bordering Poland.It comes after the Polish armed forces said they had shot down numerous drone-type objects that "repeatedly violated" the country's skies early Wednesday morning.Forces had been brought to the "highest state of readiness," it said in a post on X.Local police confirmed that debris believed to be from a damaged drone was found in the village of Czosnówka in eastern Poland, close to Poland's border with Belarus.The operation marks the first time NATO member Poland has directly engaged with Russian assets since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022. In a post on X, Tusk said he was in "constant contact" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.Defence Ministry head, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, later emphasised that drones that could have posed a threat were shot down by armed forces during the operation.Tusk was "present at the scene", officials said, with an emergency cabinet meeting called at 8am Warsaw time.'Act of aggression'The country's operational command listed three regions vulnerable to the intrusion: Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin, all located in the eastern part of Poland bordering Belarus and Ukraine.It said that some of the drones had been shot down, with efforts to work out the crash sites of the objects underway. The incident marked an "unprecedented violation of Polish airspace" and "an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens," it said in a post on X.Warsaw's Chopin Airport — located in Mazowieckie — said the facility was open but "there were no flight operations for the time being." Warsaw Modlin, Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport and Lublin Airport also suspended flights.Neighbouring Lithuania — which has also registered Russian drones on its territory — said it stood in "full solidarity" with Poland.Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister, said in a post on X that "Russia’s repeated reckless violations of NATO airspace pose a direct threat to the security of the people and critical infrastructure."Poland on high alertWarsaw's operation comes as much of Ukraine, including the western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland, were under air raid alert for Russian missile and drone attacks overnight through Wednesday.On Tuesday morning, a Russian glide bomb attack killed at least 24 people when it struck a village in eastern Ukraine as people stood in line in the open air Tuesday morning to collect their monthly pension.Poland is on high alert for objects entering its airspace. On Sunday, Poland's border guard said it found the remains of a drone with Russian markings after it crashed approximately 300 metres from the country's border with Belarus.In July, a Russian military drone crashed in a cornfield and exploded in eastern Poland in what the country's defence ministry said was a "provocation." In 2022, a Ukrainian missile killed two people when it struck a village in southern Poland.