In what represents the moment of greatest tension between Russia and the NATO since the War in Ukraine In February 2022, several Russian drones violated the airspace of Polandwhich forced the Atlantic Aliaza for the first time to use its combat aircraft to tear them down. Warsaw warned that this “unprecedented provocation” can lead to a war escalation and invoked article 4 of NATO, that calls the allies to consult. What has Russia responded, what is Donald Trump’s position and what consequences can this action trigger?
The incursion of drones It happened during a wave of attacks of Russia against Ukraine.
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The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusksaid that in total 19 “intrusions” of Russian drones were detected.
Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during an extraordinary government meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw, on September 10, 2025. (EFE/EPA/SZYMON PULCYN),
Tusk said to Parliament that now It is closer to an open conflict than at any other time since World War II.
Then, during an extraordinary council of ministers, Tusk said “It is the first time that Russian drones are demolished over the territory of a NATO Member State And that’s why all our allies take the situation very seriously ”.
Indeed, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraineseveral drones and missiles fired by Moscow They have entered the airspace of countries of the NATObut it is the first time that a country of the Atlantic Alliance knocks them down.
What happened?
The incursion of Russian drones in Poland. (AFP).
Poland reported that the first Russian drone It was detected at 23:30 on Tuesday and the last around 6:30 on Wednesday.
The country deployed its own aerial defenses and those of the NATO. F-16 Poles Combat Aircos, F-35 of NetherlandsAWACS Surveillance Ships Italythe multifunction cistern plane of the NATO and defneous systems Patriot of Germany contributed to the demolition of the drones.
Image taken from a video shows the Police and the Military Police with a drone shot in Wohyn, Poland, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. (PHOTO AP/Rafal Niedzielski).
The Interior Ministry of Poland He informed that 7 drones and the remains of a projectile of unknown origin were found. There were no victims. Only one house and a car in the east of the country were damaged.
It is the first time so far from the war that the drones They do not come from Ukraine as a result of errors or Russian provocations. According to Tusk, Much of the 19 drones came directly from Belarusally of Moscow.
The police and the army inspect the damage to a house destroyed by the rubble of a Russian drone knocked down in the village of Wyryki-Wola, east of Poland, on September 10, 2025. (Wojtek Radwanski / AFP).
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At this point, it should be noted that from September 12 to 16, the Zapad military exercisesin which tens of thousands of soldiers will participate who will simulate the so -called “Suwalki Corridor”, a strip of a few tens of kilometers wide that is the only land link between the Baltic countries and Polandthe EFE agency reported.
Poland has temporarily closed its border with Belarus Due to these maneuvers.
Tusk Wednesday reported that he requested the invocation of the Article 4 of the NATO Treatywhich points out that the allies will be consulted provided that, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.
What did Russia answer?
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, directs a meeting of the Security Council at the Kremlin, in Moscow, on August 8, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel / AFP photo).
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Russia has not recognized the launch of drones to Poland.
The Russian Embassy in Poland told the AFP agency that Warsaw wants to aggravate the conflict in Ukraine spreading. “Myths”On the incursion of these devices in their airspace.
He added that Polish authorities have not provided “evidence” to indicate that these drones were of Russian origin.
While The Russian Ministry of Defense declared that it has no plans to attack objectives in Poland.
He stressed that the maximum flight reach of the drones used in the attack on Ukraine In the early hours of Wednesday, which “allegedly crossed the border with Poland, does not exceed 700 kilometers.”
“However, we are willing to hold consultations on this matter with the Ministry of Defense of Poland,” said.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged having attacked high -range high -precision weapons and drones several Ukrainian regions, including the city of Lviv, whose region limits with Poland.
Moscow also allegedly attacked military objectives in regions that have a common border with Belarus.
For its part, the Kremlin He did not want to comment on the subject. The presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov He said that “The leaders of the European Union and NATO accuse Russia of provocations daily. In most cases without even trying to present arguments”.
International reactions
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, speaks during a joint press conference with the president of the European Council at Uzhgorod on September 5, 2025. (Photo: Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP).
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The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyhe said that what happened in Poland was “deliberateHe argued that at least eight Russian drones kamikaze Shahed “They went to Poland.” Simultaneously, Moscow fired 458 drones and missiles against Ukraine, According to the army of this country.
For its part, the president of the United States, Donald Trumphe said that Russian drones violated the airspace of Poland.
“What about Russia violating the airspace of Poland With drones? We are again! “ wrote Trump on its social truth platform.
While the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyencondemned the fact and reaffirmed the full solidarity of Europe with Poland.
The NATO general secretary, Mark Ruttehe described the response of the alliance and the member countries as “very effective” and He recalled the commitment to defend “every centimeter of NATO territory.”
The president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchezhe said “Full solidarity with Poland” and described the violation of the European airspace as “unacceptable.”
French president, Emmanuel Macroncondemned the “unacceptable” violation of Russia of the airspace of Poland And he urged Moscow to end that “flight forward” that condemned “with the greatest firmness.”
The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merzstrongly condemned the “aggressive performance” of Russia And he said that he endangers human lives in a state that belongs to NATO and the European Union.
A provocation?
The place where a Russian drone crashed in the town of Olesno, in northern Poland, on September 10, 2025. (EFE/EPA/Andrzej Jackowski).
The international analyst Francisco Belaunde Matossian He said to Commerce that what happened apparently was deliberate.
“At first glance it seems that Vladimir Putin He wants to test, testing Europeans, NATOto see his ability to react and also see what the reaction of President Trump could be, in case of a Russian attack on Europe”, Belaunde said.
“Then, everything would apparently indicate that this has been deliberate,” He added.
For its part, the international analyst Enrique Banús He argued that There is no certainty that it is a provocation.
“There are voices of the European Union that say that it is hardly credible that this is a tactical error, but that is at the moment a speculation. In any case, what happened is a very serious matter because Poland is an NATO country,” He highlighted Bancies to El Comercio.
Banús considered that it is quite unlikely that NATO React now warlikely, because it would be going on to a contribution of another level.
“We would be entering a very dangerous war dimension. By invoking article 4 of NATO, there may be a debate, a diplomatic response, a whole rhetorical and political machinery,” Banús explained.
The 32 NATO countries. (AFP).
Belaunde said that as a consequence of this action, Europeans will accelerate their effort to rearm and They will see how they improve their reaction capacity before episodes such as the one in Poland.
“Europeans may be thinking that Russia is not going to stay thereit will probably continue with such provocations, perhaps against the Baltic countries. I do not think that in the short term Moscow will climb beyond as long as he continues to fight in UkraineBelaunde emphasized.
“But in Europe there is the certainty that the next blow would probably be to the Baltic countries, so they are taking increasingly strong measures to prepare,” insisted.
Why Russia challenges the West? Belaunde explained that he does it because He does not see the United States willing to buy the lawsuit if Europe is attacked.
“Putin has seen that Trump presented it well in Alask Belaunde said.
