More than 10 Russian Shahed drones recklessly and unprecedentedly violated Poland and Europe's airspace overnight, with Polish forces shooting down at least four, according to official figures and multiple sources. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland, calling the incursion a "reckless and unprecedented violation." Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani "firmly condemn[ed] the violation of the Polish territory by Russian drones," calling it a "very serious and unacceptable fact, which is an offense to the safety of the entire Euro-Atlantic area." The Russian drone attacks were a "side effect of a large rocket air attack on Ukraine" targeting Lutsk and Lviv, with other Russian rockets also hitting Lviv and Ivano-Frankovsk, according to reports. Sources indicate that approximately a dozen or so Russian drones violated Polish airspace, with at least two shot down around Cze艣niki, east of Zamo艣膰. The Ministry of Defense noted that the remaining drones were "locally lost." Polish airspace, which had been closed in several areas including Warsaw and Lublin, began reopening with exceptions for the Lublin region by 6:00 AM UTC, following the engagement of unspecified Russian drones. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously stated that Russian drones posing a direct threat were shot down and that airspace closures had been implemented in several areas, including Warsaw, Rzesz贸w, Lublin, and Modlin. Poland is considering invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty in response to the incursions. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas characterized the incident as the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war in Ukraine began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that evidence indicates the drone movement and strike direction were deliberate, not accidental, and offered Ukraine's data and assistance in building a warning and protection system for Poland. The EU expressed full solidarity with Poland. U.S. Representative Joe Wilson condemned the drone attack on Poland as an act of war and urged President Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and arm Ukraine. Previous reports indicated that additional Russian drone debris, including a "Gerbera" model found near Sulej贸w in Mniszk贸w, Opoczno County, approximately 265 km from the Polish border, had been discovered following repeated violations overnight. Ukrainian officials reported that the drone incursions were part of a larger Russian drone and missile assault targeting Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported shooting down 413 enemy targets during the broader offensive. There are also indications that Belarus may be planning to deploy Oreshnik IRBMs to a secret military base, with the Zapad joint exercise between Russia and Belarus potentially coinciding with these events.
