NATO allies shot down three Russian drones that illegally entered Polish air space on Wednesday, in what officials tell Military Times was the first time in the alliance’s history that its planes engaged potential threats in allied airspace.
A senior Army official told reporters on Wednesday that eight other Russian drones crashed after entering Poland. There were no injuries from the debris.
The incursion prompted a “multi-layered response” from NATO allies, which placed German Patriots in Poland on alert and launched an Italian airborne early warning plane and an aerial refueler from NATO’s Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft fleet, according to a senior defense official.
Poland’s Operational Command posted a statement on X that Russian “drone-type objects” were struck down after they “repeatedly violated” Polish airspace early Wednesday.
Poland is a member of the NATO alliance and home to thousands of U.S. forces.
Following Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014, NATO enhanced its air policing operations in Poland with additional aircraft deployments to further ensure the integrity of NATO airspace on the alliance’s eastern flank.
NATO also has deployed additional aircraft to the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania.
Russia on Sunday launched the largest aerial attack on Ukraine since it began its invasion in February 2022.
Russia’s assault on Sunday involved more than 800 drones and decoys.
At least four people were killed in drone strikes that hit apartment buildings, including a mother and her infant. The main government building was also hit in the attacks.
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