Poland is at its closest to open conflict since World War Two, Tusk Requests NATO Consultations

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday the country is closer to open conflict than at any point since World War Two after shooting down Russian drones over its territory. He announced that Poland had formally requested consultations under Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which requires member states to consult whenever the security, political independence, or territory of any member is threatened.

Tusk told parliament that 19 incursions into Polish airspace occurred overnight, heightening tensions following earlier drone violations. “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before,” he said. “This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two.”

Drones Shot Down and Found Across Eastern Poland
Tusk confirmed three drones had been shot down, with a likely fourth also neutralized. Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said authorities found seven drones and debris from a missile.

A drone struck a residential building in Wyryki in eastern Poland, but no one was injured, the local mayor told state-run TVP Info. In the Lublin region, police reported finding a damaged drone in the village of Czosnowka, and the District Prosecutor’s Office in Zamosc said components were recovered near a cemetery in Czesniki. In central Poland’s Lodz region, a drone was found in a field near Mniszkow.

Belarus Says It Shot Down Some Drones
Belarus said Wednesday it had shot down some drones that went off course due to electronic jamming during Russia-Ukraine strikes, and that it had informed Poland and Lithuania of the approaching drones. Belarus Chief of the General Staff, Major General Pavel Muraveiko, did not specify whose drones were destroyed.

Muraveiko said Belarusian air defense tracked drones that had lost their course due to electronic warfare, and some were destroyed over Belarusian territory. “This allowed the Polish side to respond promptly to the actions of the drones by scrambling their forces on duty,” he said. Belarus pledged to continue fulfilling its obligations to share information on airspace activity with Poland and the Baltic countries.

Polish officials said that a large number of Russian drones violated its airspace during the incident, and those that posed a direct threat were shot down.