Polish armed forces have shot down Russian drones after they entered Nato airspace, in what Poland calls an ‘unprecedented airspace violation’.
The nation scrambled its air defences, with the Polish army’s operational command saying the drones “posed a real threat” to Polish citizens.
“As a result of the attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects,” they wrote on X.
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It marks the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022 that a member of the Nato has directly engaged Russian assets in its airspace.
The Polish military has since confirmed that its operations have ended.
“The operations of Polish and allied aviation related to violations of Polish airspace have concluded,” they wrote on X.
“The search and localisation of possible impact sites of objects that violated Polish airspace are ongoing.
“With the safety of citizens in mind, we urge that in the event of observing an unknown object or its debris, do not approach, touch, or move it.
“Such elements may pose a threat and contain hazardous materials. They must be thoroughly inspected by the appropriate services.”
Citizens in three regions along the Ukrainian border were urged to shelter at home, with local media reporting that one drone hit a residential building in the Lublin region.
The Lublin region is located in the east of Poland, and borders Belarus and Ukraine.
Polsat News reports that “the remains of a Russian drone fell on a residential house in the town of Wyryki Wola,” via Sky News.
Airspace above Poland’s major airport, Chopin International Airport in Warsaw, was closed, but has since reopened.