airspace

Oct. 29 (UPI) — The European Union on Wednesday condemned Belarus for “unacceptable” incursions of meteorological balloons into Lithuanian airspace.

“The EU strongly condemns Belarus’ persistent and provocative actions against the EU and its member states which are unacceptable,” the European Council said in a statement, adding that their continued incursions contradict previous declarations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko seeking to improve relations with the bloc.

The balloons have disrupted hundreds of flights and caused “substantial” losses to Lithuanian airports, which the European Council said risks destabilizing the country. It alleged that the balloons are an attempt to “intimidate” the European country.

While smugglers are thought to use balloons to transport illegal cigarettes into the country, the Lithuanian government and the EU have placed blame on Lukashenko.

On Monday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said the country would close its borders with Belarus except to diplomats and EU nationals leaving Belarus. She also said that the NATO country would shoot down any balloons that enter its airspace.

“These balloons are not merely smuggling tools but occur in the context of a broader targeted hybrid campaign, along with other actions that also include state-sponsored migrant smuggling,” the European Council said in its statement.

“All these actions must stop immediately. We call on the Belarusian regime to adopt without further delay effective measures to control its airspace, state border and territory, and fight and prevent organized criminal activities originating within it.”

The European Council added that the EU has imposed sanctions on Belarus and is prepared to “take further appropriate measures should such actions continue.”

Incursion follows series of drone incidents and airspace violations that have prompted fears that Russia is testing NATO.

Two Russian military aircraft have briefly entered Lithuania’s airspace in what appeared to be a new provocation from Moscow as European Union leaders discussed how to strengthen their defences amid deepening concerns the war in Ukraine could spill over into their nations.

Lithuania’s armed forces said in a statement that the two aircraft – an Su-30 fighter and an Il-78 refuelling tanker – may have been conducting refuelling exercises in the neighbouring Russian exclave of Kaliningrad when they flew 700 metres (0.43 miles) into the country at 6pm local time (15:00 GMT) on Thursday.

“This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania,” said President Gitanas Nauseda on X, adding that his country would summon Russian embassy representatives to protest against reckless and dangerous behaviour.

Two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the NATO Baltic Air Police were scrambled in response and were patrolling the area, the Lithuanian military said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied the incursion had taken place, saying the flights were conducted “in strict compliance” with rules and “did not deviate from their route and did not violate the borders of other states”.

The incident occurred after Nauseda and his fellow EU leaders attended a Brussels summit on Thursday, endorsing a plan dubbed Readiness 2030 to ensure that Europe can defend itself against an outside attack by the end of the decade.

It follows a series of mysterious drone incidents and airspace violations by Russian warplanes in recent weeks that have heightened anxiety that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be testing NATO’s defensive reflexes.

Three Russian military jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes on September 19 in what was described by Tallinn as an “unprecedented and brazen intrusion”.

Nine days before, NATO jets had shot down 20 Russian drones that entered Polish airspace, marking the first time an alliance member had engaged directly with Russia since the start of the Ukraine war.

Fellow Baltic state leaders Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze both expressed full solidarity with Lithuania.

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the incident showed that “Russia is in no way calming down or retreating” and that continued vigilance is required.

Thursday’s EU summit also saw the bloc greenlight a major package of sanctions against Russia for its war on Ukraine.

It stopped short of endorsing the use of Russian frozen assets to give Kyiv a large loan. Russia had threatened a “painful response” if its assets were seized.

The proposal, which forms part of the ‘European Drone Defence Initiative’, is one of several flagship EU projects to prepare the bloc for a potential attack from Moscow.

The European Commission is in discussions to adopt a new counter-drone initiative to protect European Union airspace from Russian violations, as it seeks to strengthen border security with its own advanced drone technology after a string of drone incursions were reported in a host of EU and NATO member countries over the past month.

The proposal, which was included in a defence policy “roadmap” presented on Thursday, will aim for the new anti-drone capabilities to reach initial capacity by the end of next year and become fully operational by the end of 2027, according to a draft of the document.

It will then be presented to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, European Commission Executive Vice President for Security Henna Virkkunen, and European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that it was time for Europe to build a “drone wall” to protect its eastern flank, hours after some 20 Russian drones reportedly entered the airspace of EU and NATO member Poland.

The concept has since morphed into a broader “European Drone Defence Initiative” including a continent-wide web of anti-drone systems in an effort to win support from EU capitals.

The drone initiative is one of several flagship EU projects aiming to prepare the bloc for a potential attack from Russia as its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine grinds on.

In the meantime, as a counterpoint, Russia’s federal security chief said on Thursday that Moscow has no doubt about NATO’s security services’ involvement in incidents with alleged Russian drones over EU territory, Russian news agency RIA Novosti cited him as saying.

Following the drone incursion into Poland, other incidents were reported at airports and military installations in several other countries further west, including Denmark, Estonia and Germany, although there has not been confirmation that the drones were sent by the Kremlin.

For its part, NATO has launched a new mission and beefed up forces on its eastern border, but it is playing catch-up as it tries to tap Ukraine’s experience and get to grips with the drone threat from Moscow.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that NATO was now “testing integrated systems that will help us detect, track and neutralise aerial threats” for use on the bloc’s eastern flank.

Ukrainian officials say Russia’s incursions into other countries’ airspace are deliberate.

“Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said last month after the drones were spotted in Poland.

Other NATO allies have also claimed the incursions were deliberate.

However, experts in drone warfare say it is still possible that the incursions were not deliberate.

Russia has denied deliberately attacking any of the European countries, instead accusing them of making false allegations to cause tensions.

While Brussels wants to have the drone project fully up and running by the end of 2027, there is scepticism from some EU countries and fears that the bloc is treading on NATO’s toes.

“We are not doubling the work that NATO is doing; actually, we are complementing each other,” said Kallas.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asked for an unprecedentedly massive drone flight ban over Chicago due to a “credible threat” that law enforcement would be attacked by uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) amid large scale detentions and protests. Their statement was in response to our questions about why such a large Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was requested. You can catch up with our original story about the TFR here.

“CBP requested a Temporary Flight Restriction due to a credible threat of small, unmanned aircraft systems being used against law enforcement during Midway Blitz,” CBP told us. Midway Blitz is the name of the operation taking place in the Chicago area. The flight restriction extends for a 15-mile radius over the greater Chicago area and into Lake Michigan.

The CBP statement did not mention any specifics, but referenced prior incidents of violence during protests against the ICE immigration enforcement wave that has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests in several cities around the country. 

“Our brave law enforcement is facing a surge in assaults and violence, including a domestic terrorist shooting in Dallas and Antifa riots in Broadview,” the statement read.

Last week, a sniper opened fire on an ICE detention facility in Dallas. The shooter died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, while two detainees were wounded.

In Broadview, as we mentioned in our previous story, protests against the ICE arrests have been aimed at a federal facility in this suburb located about 10 miles west of Chicago. The facility is being used to detain hundreds of people arrested on suspected immigration violations. At least five people have been arrested amid clashes between protesters and agents in which chemical agents have been deployed to disperse crowds.

“The Trump administration will utilize every tool to keep our law enforcement safe,” CBP added. “The TFR will be in effect until October 12th.” 

We asked CPB for proof of a threat from small drones, whether any officers had ever been attacked this way before, and if this was the first time they issued such an explanation. We also contacted a lawyer’s group representing protestors and the Chicago mayor’s office. We will provide updates with any pertinent details we get.

It is unclear if there have been any situations where protestors have used or attempted to use drones to attack officers. The proliferation of small and often commercially available weaponized drones for nefarious purposes is a story we have covered deeply over many years. There is increasingly concern that these systems could be used in kinetic attacks within the homeland by non-state actors. They are already in common use with drug cartels and foreign terror groups, for instance. Yet this is the first time we have heard of claimed intelligence linking them to protests or that these capabilities exist with groups participating in them.

We will continue to push for answers.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Sept. 29 (UPI) — Denmark will ban all civilian drones beginning Monday over safety concerns as Copenhagen prepares to host an EU summit on European defense.

Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen announced the airspace closure Sunday after a slew of incidents involving unidentified drones in recent weeks. The closure will be in effect from Monday to Friday.

He said the drones have created disruption and uncertainty in the country, particularly among the military and police. He said the closure of airspace to civilian drone use will allow law enforcement to focus on security for EU meetings Thursday and Friday.

The European Council is meeting informally Thursday to address general defense in Europe as well as the body’s support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia. A more formal summit of the European political community is expected to take place Friday.

Last week, Denmark’s defense minister, Troels Lund Poulson, said the recent drone sightings in Danish airspace likely weren’t by Russia though there has been a rise in Russian violations of allied airspace. He instead described them as “hybrid attacks,” meaning they were the result of different types of drones. Authorities believed they were launched from somewhere local.

The drone incidents have caused Denmark to at times shut down airports and the airspace around its largest military base.

During his speech Wednesday before the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the international community that Russia’s advanced weaponry and defense technology is putting the entirety of Europe under threat. He cited Moscow’s use of drones and artificial intelligence.

“We are living through the most destructive arms race in human history,” Zelensky said.

European leaders, including Poulson, met on the sidelines of the U.N. general debate last week to discuss the establishment of a “drone wall” to prevent drone attacks — from Russia or otherwise. The system to detect and disable drones would create a virtual wall along eastern EU countries, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

There have been other unidentified drone sightings in Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

Estonian President Alar Karis says Russian fighter planes entering his country’s airspace is another sign that Russia is escalating its war on Ukraine. His comments come a day after US President Donald Trump said NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace.

NATO countries have accused Russia of violating the airspace of alliance members Estonia, Poland and Romania, as Russia rejected the claims and accused the European powers of levying baseless accusations.

“Your reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion, we stand ready to defend NATO’s skies and NATO’s territory,” UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said, addressing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday.

“If we need to confront planes operating in NATO space without permission, then we will do so,” she added.

Cooper’s comments were echoed by other Western countries at the meeting, including the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, who suggested that the multiple incidents could not be considered an accident.

Earlier on Monday, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski said that Russian aircraft would be brought down if they entered his country’s airspace.

“If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission, deliberately or by mistake, and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it. You have been warned.”

Several European countries have accused Russia of violating their airspaces in the past weeks, which Moscow has denied.

Estonia said on Friday that Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, before they were forced to withdraw, in an episode that Western officials said was designed to test NATO’s readiness and resolve.

Romania said last week that its radar detected a Russian drone, prompting it to scramble fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Poland reported that it had shot down several drones during a Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, marking the first time NATO forces have directly engaged in the conflict that began after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

Ukraine’s foreign minister said that such actions by Moscow should be met robustly, and renewed Kyiv’s offer to integrate its air defences into those of neighbouring Western countries to counter the Russian front.

“A strong response means that a threat should not be escorted, neither for 12 minutes, nor for one minute. It should be neutralised,” said Andrii Sybiha.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. It has also forced European nations to boost their defence amid fears of Russian aggression.

United States President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war seem to have faltered so far.

NATO’s North Atlantic Council will meet to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

The US’s new envoy to the UN, Michael Waltz, making his first appearance since taking his post, said that Moscow needed to defuse tensions, not exacerbate them.

“I want to take this first opportunity to repeat and to emphasise: The United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Waltz said.

Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said there was no evidence backing the claims of Moscow’s incursions into NATO members’ airspace, and accused European powers of levying baseless accusations.

“We won’t be partaking in this theatre of the absurd,” he said.

“When you decide that you want to engage in a serious discussion about European security, about the fate of our common continent, about how to make this continent prosperous and secure for everybody, we’ll be ready.”

Sept. 22 (UPI) — The United Nations Security Council is to convene Monday to address Russia’s breach last week of Estonia airspace, according to the European union and NATO member.

Kremlin MiG-31 fighter jets flew through Estonian airspace for 12 minutes on Friday, the latest transgression of a foreign national’s airspace in recent weeks during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Estonia announced the U.N. Security Council meeting on Sunday, describing its mission as to address Russia’s breach of Tallinn’s “territorial integrity” and its violation of a prohibition on the threat or use of force.

“This incursion into Estonian airspace is yet another dangerous act aimed at escalating regional and global tensions, as Russia — a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council — continues its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Tallinn’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

“Russia’s reckless and aggressive actions, and its repeated violations of international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter, require a strong and united international response.”

The Friday breach saw three MiG-31s travel within 12 1/2 miles of downtown Tallinn, where there are government buildings of NATO allies and EU member states, according to Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He called the breach a “pattern of unacceptable behavior” observed in recent weeks with repeated air and drone incidents in the region.

Last week, Romania summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest after Moscow’s drone incursion into its airspace on Sept. 13. It flew within Romanian airspace for 50 minutes.

Before that, Poland shot down at least three of 19 Russian drones that had breached its airspace overnight Sept. 9.

Vseviov chastised Russia over the Friday incursion, saying “it brought aircraft dangerously close to our capital.”

Estonian Defense Forces said NATO F-35s were scrambled in response.

It was Russia’s fourth violation of Estonia’s airspace this year, it said.

“By openly violating Estonian airspace, Russia undermines principles vital to the security of all U.N. member states. When such actions are committed by a permanent member of the Security Council, they must be addressed by that very body” Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

“Tomorrow’s U.N. Security Council meeting is essential.”

Fighters from three nations responded to an intrusion of Estonian airspace by three Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors on Friday. The NATO jets were scrambled under the alliance’s new Operation Eastern Sentry, created to protect Eastern Europe. That effort was stood up after Polish and Dutch fighters downed Russian drones that had intruded into Poland last week.

Italian Air Force F-35 stealth fighters responded to the incident, according to NATO. They are part of the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission. In addition, Sweden and Finland also scrambled fighters.

Sweden said it scrambled its JAS 39 fighters to intercept and monitor the Foxhounds over the Black Sea.

Following a violation of Estonian air space, Swedish JAS 39 fighters intercepted and monitored three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets over the Baltic Sea today. Sweden is always ready to ensure the safety, security and integrity of our airspace together with our allies.#WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/gpTbmngiKc

— Försvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) September 19, 2025

After the incursion, Lithuania’s defense minister made a veiled suggestion that NATO shoot down intruding Russian aircraft.

“Three Russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that #EasternSentry is long due,” Dovilė Šakalienė stated on X. “NATO’s border in the North East is being tested for a reason. We need to mean business. PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought.”

Šakalienė was referring to an incident in 2015 when Turkish F-16s downed a Russian Su-24 over the Turkey-Syria border area.

Three russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that #EasternSentry is long due.

NATOs border in the North East is being tested for a reason.

We need to mean business.

PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago.
Some food for thought.

— Dovilė Šakalienė (@DSakaliene) September 19, 2025

“Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace,” the alliance stated on X. “NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond.”

Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace. NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond.

— NATO Spokesperson (@NATOpress) September 19, 2025

The Foxhounds entered Estonian airspace in the area of Vaindloo Island, located in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, the Estonian military said.

The island is located about 15 miles north of the Estonian mainland and about 60 miles west of Russia. The Russian aircraft did not have flight plans and their transponders were turned off, the Estonian military noted. In addition, the Foxhounds were not in two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic services.

“This is an unprecedented and brazen intrusion — clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated on X. “Such actions cannot be tolerated and must be met with swift political and economic pressure.”

Today @MFAestonia summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires over another violation of Estonia’s airspace, when three Russian MiG-31s entered our airspace over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes.

This is an unprecedented and brazen intrusion — clear proof of Russia’s growing…

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) September 19, 2025

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he spoke with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal about the incident.

I’ve just spoken with the Estonian PM @KristenMichalPM about the Russian air space violation today. NATO’s response under Eastern Sentry was quick and decisive.

— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) September 19, 2025

The European Union condemned the incursion.

“Today’s violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, exclaimed on X. “This marks the third such violation of EU airspace in days and further escalates tensions in the region. The EU stands in full solidarity with Estonia.”

Kallas added that she is “in close contact with the Estonian government. We will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources. Putin is testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness.”

Today’s violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation.

This marks the third such violation of EU airspace in days and further escalates tensions in the region.

The EU stands in full solidarity with Estonia (1/2)

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) September 19, 2025

Estonia is considering invoking Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which forms the legal basis for NATO, Fox reported. Article 4 states that “the Parties [to the alliance] will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

Poland invoked Article 4 after the Russian drone incursion.

It is not completely unheard of for Russian aircraft to breach NATO airspace. However, this incident raises additional concerns amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and what happened in Poland and Romania last week.

About 19 Russian drones entered Polish and Romanian airspace last week, officials said. As we stated in our initial report on the drone flights, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that at least three to four drones were shot down by Polish and Dutch fighters. Another three to four appeared to have crashed in Polish territory.

The previously mentioned Eastern Sentry was designed to initially deploy a mixed force of fighter jets and an air defense frigate. Eventually, however, the plan is to expand it to cover the region between the Arctic and the Black Sea, providing a bulwark against potential Russian drones and missiles. You can read more about that in our initial story about Eastern Sentry here.

“Eastern Sentry and this new approach will deliver even more focused and flexible deterrence and defense where and when needed to protect our people and deter against further reckless and dangerous acts like what occurred last week, Supreme Allied Command Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, explained on Sept. 12.

It is unclear what Russia’s intent was for this flight. Officials in Moscow have yet to comment. After the drone incursions into Poland, officials there said Russia was testing NATO’s resolve.

Regardless of why the Foxhounds were over Estonia, their presence added to a growing tension in Eastern Europe.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Sept. 14 (UPI) — Romania has summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest to lodge a protest over Moscow’s drone incursion into its airspace, making the second European nation whose airspace has been threatened by the Kremlin’s attacks on Ukraine in a week.

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it summoned Vladimir Lipaev to its headquarters on Sunday, a day after the incursion occurred.

“The Romanian side conveyed its strong protests against this unacceptable and irresponsible act, which represents a violation of Romania’s sovereignty,” the ministry said in a statement. “Such recurring situations lead to the escalation and amplification of threats to regional security. The Russian side was requested to take, without delay, all necessary measures to prevent future violations of Romanian airspace.

Romania’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement it detected the Russian drone when a pair of F-16 jets were monitoring its border with Ukraine on Saturday at about 6 p.m. local time.

It said the drone was detected about 12 miles southwest of the village of Chilia Veche before it disappeared from radar.

A Sunday military assessment found that the drone flew for about 50 minutes before exiting Romanian airspace.

“The pilots received authorization to shoot down the target, but at the moments when they had direct contact, they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire,” the Defense Ministry said.

Along with the Romanian fighter jets, German allies in Mihail Koglaniceanu scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to support the Romanian aircraft, which stayed deployed until 9:30 p.m.

The incident comes after Poland shot down at least three of at least 19 Russian drones that had breached its airspace overnight Tuesday to Wednesday morning.

Russia’s latest incursion into a European nation’s airspace has raised concerns throughout the region amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and has drawn condemnation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an expansion of Russia’s war.

“The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air,” Zelensky said in an online statement. “Their routes are always calculated. This cannot be a coincidence or a mistake or the initiative of some lower level commanders.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “blatant violation of EU sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security.”

“We are working closely with Romania and all member states to protect the EU territory,” she said in a statement.

“Suntem solidari cu Romania,” she added, which means, “we stand in solidarity with Romania” in Romanian.

Sept. 14 (UPI) — Romania has claimed a Russian drone entered its airspace Saturday near Ukraine‘s southern border, a move Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called an expansion by Russia in the ongoing war.

“The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air,” a social media statement by Zelensky said. “Their routes are always calculated. This cannot be a coincidence or a mistake or the initiative of some lower level commanders.”

Romania is the second NATO country to report such an incursion. On Wednesday, Poland said it had shot down three drones that had breached its airspace, according to the BBC.

Romania said it detected the Russian drone when a pair of F-16 jets were monitoring its border with Ukraine, according to a statement from the Romanian defense ministry.

It said the drone was detected about 12 miles southwest of the village of Chilia Veche before it disappeared from radar.

“The UAV did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an imminent threat to the security of the population,” the statement said. It said the defense ministry has teams on alert to monitor potentially hazardous fallout from the drone.

“People in Romania were never in danger but such actions by Russia are unacceptable and reckless, a social media post from the Romanian minister of foreign affairs said.

It is the latest incident in an ongoing series of escalations in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the latest chapter of which has been waged since February 2022.

Moscow has not commented on either incident.

Sept. 10 (UPI) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday that Polish forces and their NATO partners downed a “huge” number of Russian drones overnight, the first time Russian assets have been intercepted in the military alliance’s airspace.

“Last night, the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down. I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies,” Tusk said in a post on X.

He said there were “multiple violations of Polish airspace,” each of which was met by Polish and NATO air defenses, including fighter jets.

Tusk said he was in continual contact with the commander of the operation, the defense minister and the country’s president.

Residents were sent emergency texts alerting them of the air defense operation and requesting them to report any drones they saw or locations where they fell, while people in three regions in the east of the country were told to stay indoors.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said NATO’s swift and decisive response demonstrated both the alliance’s ability and determination “to defend Allied territory.”

Speaking after an emergency meeting of the National Security Bureau, Tusk said Poland was most likely “dealing with a large-scale provocation.” He called the situation “serious” but vowed that Poland was “ready to repel” attacks of this nature.

A number of the drones entered from Belarus airspace, Tusk told lawmakers later Wednesday, and that the last of the objects was shot down at 6:45 a.m. local time.

“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. This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two,” he said.

The incursion came amid a massive Russian airborne attack against neighboring Ukraine involving more than 400 drones and more than 40 cruise and ballistic missiles, with the Ukrainian Air Force saying that as many as 24 drones “crossed the Ukrainian state border flying in Poland’s direction.”

Poland shares borders of roughly equal length with both Ukraine and Belarus.

NATO Allied Command Operations confirmed the clashes were the first time NATO aircraft had engaged with potential threats in “Allied Airspace” with Poland and the Netherlands scrambling fighter jets, Italian early warning aircraft and a NATO air-refuelling tanker airborne and German-supplied Patriot missiles on alert.

“NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and all of Allied Command Operations is committed to defending every kilometer of NATO territory, including our airspace,” said Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesman.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement saying he had been in communication with Tusk over the incident, which he called a “barbaric attack on Ukraine and the egregious and unprecedented violation of Polish and NATO airspace by Russian drones”.

“This was an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of President Putin’s blatant disregard for peace and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.”

The incident came hours after Starmer hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Downing Street where they discussed work to integrate U.S. support into plans for a so-called Coalition of the Willing of European countries putting together a reassurance force for Ukraine to uphold any future cease-fire.

Condemning the incursion in “the strongest possible terms,” French President Emmanuel Macron said it was completely unacceptable and that he would meet with Rutte — but did not say when.

Belarus claimed the incursion was accidental, caused by drones turned “rogue” after their systems were jammed, claimed its forces had shot some of them down, and that it communicated with Poland and Lithuania over a five-hour period during the night.

Moscow, however, sought to lay blame on Ukraine, with Russian state television quoting unnamed Polish lawmakers saying it appeared to be a false-flag operation perpetrated by Kyiv.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says military defences deployed after ‘multiple violations of Polish airspace’.

Poland has shot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian aerial attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said.

“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation targeting targets in Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drones,” the Polish command said in a statement early on Wednesday.

“At the request of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, weapons have been used, and operations are under way to locate the downed targets,” the military said.

The army said that Polish and NATO military aircraft had been mobilised to ensure airspace safety.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that an “operation is under way related to multiple violations of Polish airspace”.

Trwa operacja związana z wielokrotnym naruszeniem polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej. Przeciwko obiektom wojsko użyło uzbrojenia. Jestem w stałym kontakcie z Prezydentem i Ministrem Obrony. Odebrałem bezpośredni meldunek od dowódcy operacyjnego.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 10, 2025

Translation: An operation is under way related to multiple violations of Polish airspace. The military used armaments against the objects. I am in constant contact with the President and the Minister of Defence. I received a direct report from the operational commander.

Earlier, it was reported that four airports in Poland, including its main Chopin airport in Warsaw, were closed due to military activity.

According to notices posted to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website, the three other airports closed were Rzeszow–Jasionka airport, the Warsaw Modlin airport, and the Lublin airport. Poland’s military did not mention the airport closures.

The military mobilisation in Poland came after Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian drones had entered Polish airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but the air force later removed the statement from its Telegram messaging app.

Most of Ukraine, including the western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland, were under air raid alerts for several hours overnight, according to Ukraine’s Air Force data.

Poland said earlier that it planned to close its border with Belarus at midnight local time on Thursday (22:00 GMT, Wednesday) due to Russian-led military exercises scheduled to take place in Belarus.

Russia and Belarus’s large-scale military exercises, known as the “Zapad” drills, have raised security concerns in neighbouring NATO member states: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The “Zapad-2025” (West-2025) drills will be held in western Russia and Belarus from Friday.

Asked about the duration of the border closure, Polish Minister of Interior Marcin Kierwinski said it would only be reopened when the government was sure “there was no more threat to Polish citizens”.

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had summoned the Polish charge d’affaires to complain about the border closure, which it said “caused significant difficulties”.

It described Poland’s move as “an abuse of its geographical position”.

“The temporary suspension of passage indicates rather an intention to conceal one’s own actions than the existence of any threat from Belarus,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Lithuania’s border guard said on Tuesday that the protection of its border with Belarus and Russia would be strengthened due to the exercises.

RUSSIAN drones have flown into Polish airspace, prompting NATO jets to be scrambled in response.

Polish and allied aircraft were activated in the early hours of Wednesday to ensure the county’s airspace is protected.

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It comes as Moscow continues to barrage Ukraine with relentless drone strikes.

Poland, a member of the NATO alliance, shares a border with Ukraine and has been one of Kyiv’s key international backers.

Warsaw’s operational command shared the tense news in a post on X.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” they said.

The Ukrainian Air Force earlier said on Telegram that Russian drones were tearing towards the city of Zamosc.

It is not clear how many drone entered Polish airspace.

This comes after a Russian air killed at least 24 people and injured 19 others in the Donetsk region.

A glide bomb struck the village of Yarova, which was home to around 1,700 people before the war.

Valium Filashkin, head of Donetsk Military Administration, said: “This is not military action – this is pure terrorism.”

Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to wreak devastation across Ukraine as Moscow‘s brutal full-scale invasion grinds on.

On Sunday, Russia unleashed a vicious barrage against Ukraine that killed four people.

A two-month old baby was among the victims of the barbaric strikes.

Poland is a member state of NATO, giving it protections under the Article 5 mutual defence agreement.

This means that an attack on one member state is deemed an attack on all, obliging countries including the US, the UK and France to come to their aid if the clause is invoked.

Pressure is mounting on the United States and allies to impose deeper sanctions on Russia amid the intensifying onslaught.

Speaking on the White House lawn after the attacks this weekend, Donald Trump said he’s “not happy with the whole situation”.

Sunday’s attack saw 805 drones and a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles fired at some of Ukraine‘s largest cities.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told The New York Post the “barbaric attack proved we have to do whatever it takes to stop Russian war machine fuelled by oil and gas revenue”.

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Turkiye’s top diplomat said his country has ‘completely’ cut off trade with Israel over its ongoing genocide.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country has completely severed economic and trade ties with Israel and has closed its airspace to its aircraft, in protest over the war in Gaza.

Speaking at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament on Gaza on Friday, Fidan said Israel has been “committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world’s eyes”.

Turkiye cut off direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023, the two countries carried out $7bn in trade.

Ankara has not minced its words about Israel’s war on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling it a genocide – like many other world leaders and leading human rights organistions – and likening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler.

“We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace,” Fidan said.

The Turkish foreign minister’s condemnation comes amid years of increasingly tense relations between the two countries, said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar.

“It’s not only about the humanitarian crisis that’s unfolding in Gaza; Turkiye gradually is perceiving Israel as a national security threat,” Serdar explained, noting that Israel’s expansionism and attacks across the wider Middle East have been cause for concern.

In Syria particularly, Ankara has accused Israel of wilfully undermining the country’s recovery efforts after the devastation of a 14-year civil war and the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last December by a lightning rebel offensive.

“Diplomats in Ankara are seeing that if Israel is not stopped, eventually there might be a direct military confrontation between these two countries,” he said.

Serdar added that the Turkish foreign minister’s comments also show that Turkiye is looking to the Global South and other powers to take action, amid the United States’ and European Union’s largely unwavering support for Israel.

Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkiye, and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports.

‘Like pariahs’

Meanwhile, Turkiye’s latest move is making “more and more Israelis feel the disadvantages of this kind of war that has no deadline”, said Akiva Eldar, an Israeli political analyst.

“Turkiye is not just another country that is deciding to cut its relationship with Israel. Turkiye has been an ally of Israel for many years, a very important market to Israeli goods,” Eldar told Al Jazeera, speaking from Kiryat Shmona, adding that it was also a favourite summer destination for many Israelis.

“We feel more and more … Israelis are feeling isolated and [like] pariahs. More and more countries and companies have decided to stop their business with Israel.”

Last November, Turkish authorities denied permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane to enter Turkiye’s airspace for a trip to an international summit in Azerbaijan.

“As Turkiye, we have to take a stance on certain issues,” Erdogan later said when asked about the incident.

Israel and Turkiye’s relationship had soured as far back as 2010, following Israel’s deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which killed 10 Turkish citizens.

More recently, a Turkish-American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the occupied West Bank in September 2024.

Rome Statute signatories Italy, France and Greece accused of ‘violating’ international legal order by letting alleged war criminal fly over territory.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, has hit out at countries that allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fly over their airspace en route to the United States, suggesting that they may have flouted their obligations under international law.

Albanese said on Wednesday that the governments of Italy, France and Greece needed to explain why they provided “safe passage” to Netanyahu, who they were theoretically “obligated to arrest” as an internationally wanted suspect when he flew over their territory on his way to meet United States President Donald Trump on Sunday for talks.

All three countries are signatories of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Italian, French and Greek citizens deserve to know that every political action violating the int’l legal order, weakens and endangers all of them. And all of us,” Albanese wrote on X.

Albanese was responding to a post by human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber, who had said the previous day that the countries had “breached their legal obligations under the treaty [Rome Statute], have declared their disdain for the victims of genocide, and have demonstrated their contempt for the rule of law”.

Netanyahu’s visit to the US, during which he and Trump discussed the forced displacement of Palestinians amid his country’s ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, was not his first sortie since the ICC issued the warrant for his arrest.

In February, Netanyahu travelled to the US, which is not party to the Rome Statute, becoming the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his January inauguration.

Then, in April, Netanyahu visited Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban in Budapest, the latter having extended his invitation just one day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant, withdrawing the country’s ICC membership ahead of the Israeli leader’s arrival.

From Hungary, Netanyahu then flew to the US for a meeting with Trump, his plane flying 400km (248 miles) further than the normal route to avoid the airspace of several countries that could enforce an arrest warrant, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Member states of the ICC are expected to take subjects of arrest warrants into custody if those individuals are on their territory.

In practice, the rules are not always followed. For instance, South Africa, a member of the court, did not arrest Sudan’s then-leader Omar al-Bashir during a 2017 visit, despite an ICC warrant against him.

European Union countries have been split on the ICC warrant issued for Netanyahu.

Some said last year they would meet their ICC commitments, while Italy has said there were legal doubts. France has said it believes Netanyahu has immunity from ICC actions.

Ukraine’s European allies are considering the possibility of using their air forces to defend the country’s western skies from drone and missile attacks without the help of the United States, sources familiar with the talks tell Al Jazeera.

The plan, known as Skyshield, could put NATO planes and pilots into Ukrainian airspace for the first time, sending a powerful political message to Russia that Europe is committed to Ukraine’s defence.

Skyshield is more likely to come into effect as part of any ceasefire, especially if European ground forces are committed. But it was designed by Ukrainian and British aviation experts to work under combat conditions as well.

“It’s being taken very seriously into consideration by the UK, France,” said Victoria Vdovychenko, an expert on hybrid warfare at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics, who has sat at some of the meetings. “German colleagues and Italian colleagues also do know about that, as well as the Scandinavian colleagues,” she said.

When it comes to implementing Skyshield in wartime conditions, she admits, “some of the partners are still fluctuating in their decision making”.

Skyshield was published in February and is the brainchild of Price of Freedom, a Ukrainian think tank founded by Lesya Orobets. She came up with the idea during an air defence crisis last spring, when Republican lawmakers in the US delayed the passage of a $60bn bill to send more aid to Ukraine.

During a phone call with the head of Ukraine’s air force, Orobets was told, “We are in the middle of a missile crisis. We don’t have enough [interceptors] to shoot down the missiles.”

Skyshield calls for the deployment of 120 European aircraft to protect Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and export corridors along the Danube River and the Black Sea, freeing up the Ukrainian Air Force to focus on the first line of defence in the contested east of the country.

“There would be a piece of land of 200 kilometres [125 miles] between them at least,” said Orobets.

European jets would be based in neighbouring Poland and Romania, and fly mostly west of the Dnipro, protecting Kyiv on both sides of the river in the north of the country.

A higher-risk strategy

Western commanders are wary of costs, casualties and military implications.

Hourly flight costs, which include training, parts and maintenance, range from $28,000 for an F-16 to about $45,000 for a fourth-generation Rafale jet, Colonel Konstantinos Zikidis of the Hellenic Air Force told Al Jazeera.

“We’d have to pay for people to be there, several shifts a day in all specialities … it will be exhausting,” he said, referring to aircraft technicians and pilots.

“On the other hand, the proposal downplays the effectiveness of air defence systems, which are very effective against cruise missiles and have a far lower hourly operating cost than aircraft,” Zikidis said.

“It’s also not really the job of aircraft to hunt down cruise missiles. They can do it if they are given coordinates by air command. They can’t go out on flight patrol and spot them by chance. So you need a very thick radar array to cover a given area, especially at low altitude.”

European NATO members do not operate AWACS airborne radar, which would be the ideal tool for the job according to Zikidis, but Ukrainian pilots have already downed Russian cruise missiles using air-to-air missiles, suggesting the ground-based radar assets are there.

Europe has provided Ukraine with Patriot and Samp-T long-range air defence systems and Iris-T medium-range systems, but these are enough only to protect larger urban centres, said Vdovychenko. Russia is also stepping up its attacks. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on May 4 that Russia had launched almost 1,200 long-range kamikaze drones and 10 missiles in just a week.

These types of weapons are routinely directed at civilian and industrial infrastructure, not the front lines, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasing production. Last year, Russia’s factory at Alabuga produced 6,000 Shahed/Geran long-range drones, said Ukraine’s head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, last month. He said Putin set production at 8,000-10,000 drones this year.

The effects are visible. High-profile attacks on Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv and Kyiv have killed dozens of people this year.

The second problem European air forces would face is that of casualties.

“If one European plane falls and a pilot is killed, it will be very difficult for a European government to explain it,” said Zikidis. “For a Greek pilot to go and get killed in Ukraine could bring the government down,” he added.

“I don’t think that there is a political will [for that], and that is what stops this partially,” said Vdovychenko.

But Orobets put this risk in a wider context.

“We’re talking about catching cruise missiles and putting down the offensive drones, which is quite an easy target for trained pilots,” she told Al Jazeera. “So we do consider Skyshield to be less risky [than enforcing a no-fly zone] or any participation of the European troops closer to the front line.”

Strategic intimidation

Thirdly, there are the military implications. Skyshield is partly about freeing up the Ukrainian Air Force to strike deeper inside Russia, deploying the estimated 85 F-16s it is being given.

That is because Russia has this year intensified its use of controlled air bombs (CABs), which are directed against front lines, reportedly dropping 5,000 in April versus 4,800 in March, 3,370 in February and 1,830 in January.

Ukraine would target the airfields from which Russian jets take off to drop the CABs. It would also move missile launch systems closer to the front lines, increasing their reach inside Russia.

CABs are Russia’s most effective weapon at the front, and it has successfully leveraged its nuclear arsenal to intimidate NATO into allowing them to be flown in.

The Biden administration had refused to allow Ukraine to deploy Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMSs), which have a range of 300km (190 miles), because Russia considered their use dependent on US intelligence, in its view, making the US a cobelligerent in the war.

It has expressed exactly the same view of Germany sending its 500km (310-mile) range Taurus missile to Ukraine.

In the same vein, Russia has threatened to act against any European force deployment to Ukraine.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu last month told a summit of the foreign ministers of the BRICS group of states in Rio de Janeiro that “military units of Western states on Ukrainian territory … will be considered as legitimate targets”.

These threats have been effective. The Biden administration was against the idea of allowing the Polish and Romanian air forces to shoot down drones and missiles in Ukrainian airspace that were headed into Polish and Romanian airspace, Orobets said.

The Biden administration “thought that if any American pilot on any American jet or any Western jet would enter the Ukrainian airspace, then America or another country would become cobelligerent”, she said.

The same applied to the notion of Europeans entering Ukraine’s airspace.

“They were scared that Russians would then escalate to the level of a conflict they could not sustain. So that was the only reason. There was no reason like, ‘Oh, we cannot do that’,” she said.