Poland’s military said it shot down drones that violated Polish airspace early Monday as Russian forces carried out strikes on neighboring Ukraine.
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk wrote on X that an operation to “neutralize objects that have violated and exceeded the border of the Republic of Poland is underway.” Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces said the incursion came in the course of an attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory and called the crossings “an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens.”
Some of the objects were shot down, the Operational Command said, and efforts were underway to search for and locate possible crash sites. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the Territorial Defense Forces had been activated to conduct ground searches of downed drones and urged the public to remain calm and to follow announcements from military and state services. “In case of encountering object fragments, please do not approach them and inform the police,” he wrote on X.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was in constant contact with the president and the defense minister and had received a direct report from the operational commander. Kosiniak-Kamysz added that the Polish military was in “constant contact with NATO command.” The Operational Command said Polish and allied forces and assets remained fully prepared for further actions and that defensive procedures had been invoked.
The incident follows a series of strikes inside Ukraine that Russian authorities said were carried out during Ukrainian Independence Day-related operations. Russian officials also claimed that Ukrainian drones struck a nuclear power plant during the strikes; that assertion was reported by Russian state sources and has not been independently verified.
Images and reporting from Ukraine showed destruction from drone and missile strikes, including residential damage and fires in Kyiv. Rescue workers were seen extinguishing blazes and attending to damaged buildings after overnight attacks.
Polish officials said they had notified senior state authorities, including the president and prime minister, and that a full assessment of the situation was ongoing. The Operational Command and civilian authorities asked residents near suspected crash sites to avoid the areas and to report findings to law enforcement as searches continued.
Poland’s move to shoot down objects that entered its airspace underscores increasingly tense security dynamics along NATO’s eastern flank as fighting continues in Ukraine. Polish leaders have routinely emphasized coordination with alliance partners in response to airspace violations and cross-border incidents.