Poland

Europe’s cheapest city break is already a firm favourite with visitors thanks to its cheap food, drinks and attractions – so we went to see if it lives up to the hype

With prices on the rise in many European cities, as well as issues from overcrowding to anti-tourism protests in many city break hotspots, many travellers will be looking for cheaper locations for short breaks.

Search for cheap city breaks and Poland often tops the charts, and there’s one city that’s particularly popular among budget travellers; Krakow. Poland’s second city has all the elements of the perfect city break destination. Pretty cobbled streets, cheap food and drink, and plenty of historic and cultural spots to explore.

But is it the cheapest city break? I visited in September, just after the school holidays, and had a look at some of the prices during the shoulder season. With temperatures still at 26C early in the month, it seemed a great time to visit. The city was busy, but nowhere near as crowded as many destinations during this time of year, and there were still outdoor events in the town’s main square in the evening.

For a start, there are various budget-friendly flight options, with Jet2, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air all offering direct routes, with a flight time of just over two hours. When I took a look, I found fares with Ryanair from £19.99 each way, although this doesn’t include a second bag if you want to take more than a small handbag or backpack with you.

I stayed at the newly-opened TRIBE hotel in Krakow. It’s about a three minute walk from St. Florian’s Gate, the entrance to the historic old town. This four-star hotel has rooms from as little as £57 a night, and was modern and comfortable. I also liked that it was next to a tram stop, so it’s easy to get around. There are cheaper options available, but if you’re on a short break it has a great location, and it’s an excellent base to explore.

Travel and days out

Krakow’s public transport is cheap, clean, and reliable, so getting around isn’t going to cost you a lot. Getting from the airport to the city centre takes under half an hour by train and costs just 13PLN (around £2.67). The city is quite compact and walkable, and there’s also the option of getting a tram. Journeys of up to 20 minutes cost around £0.50, while a 48-hour ticket, perfect for weekend breaks, is just over £7.

In the old town, you’ll find the Czartoryski Museum, one of Poland’s oldest museums and a popular tourist spot. While it costs nearly £13 to get in, it’s a huge museum and you could wander round for hours. It’s worth getting a guided tour because there’s too much to take in by yourself. You can see an original Rembrandt, as well as the museum’s most famous piece, Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci.

The price of days out varies. There are plenty of inexpensive things to do in the city itself, or you can go further afield to visit sights such as the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This stunning underground series of mines includes chapels, sculptures, and intricately carved walls, all buried below the ground’s surface. Tickets cost from 143 PLN, nearly £30, but it’s well worth the visit.

Many visitors to the city will be looking to visit Auschwitz. There are lots of tour providers offering full day packages, which cost from £60-80. However, you can take the train and get in free without a tour guide, but it is worth booking the tour with an educator, which costs 130PLN (around £26.63), to learn more about the site’s history.

If you don’t have much time to explore Krakow, look out for the Melex tours. These electric golf carts zip around the old town, taking you to sights such as the Renaissance-era Cloth Hall and the Town Hall Tower, with short guided tours from as little as £10.

Food and drink

Most food and drink prices in Krakow are reasonable. Being in the Old Town, you’ll find things pricier, but they still compare well to other city breaks.

In the Old Town, you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants. If you want to try local dishes, you can enjoy a large plate of pierogi for less than £10. You can also grab a lunch to-go at one of the Zabka convenience stores. This Polish brand can be found on every corner, and have food like snacks and sandwiches for around £2.50. You can even get a cold beer with your lunch for less than £1.

And of course, it’s the beer prices lots of visitors will want to know about. Is the beer in Krakow cheap? Relatively, yes. A pint in the Old Town’s main square did set me back £4.50, but I was in a very touristy area. Most places I visited were more around the £3 a pint price mark, or cheaper once away from the Old Town.

So, was Krakow the cheapest city break? Some of the prices weren’t as low as I expected, but overall things like food, drink, and transport were very good value for money, especially when compared to other European breaks I’ve taken recently. If you’re a history buff or just like wandering around beautiful cities, it’s a great choice for a weekend away.

Book the holiday

Stay there: Prices at the TRIBE Krakow start from £96 per night based on two adults sharing a room. Members of ALL Accor can enjoy up to 10% off public rates as well as earning reward points which can be redeemed on stays and experiences across the world.

Get there: Ryanair offers fares from £14.99 each way to Krakow from London Luton.

Moscow is accused of running sabotage and espionage operations across Europe, targeting nations supporting Ukraine.

Authorities in Poland have arrested eight individuals across the country on suspicion of espionage and sabotage.

In a brief statement on social media, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that the case is developing and that “further operational activities are ongoing” without providing further details.

The detentions come amid accusations that Russia is operating a network of spies and saboteurs across Europe.

Referring to the prime minister’s post, the coordinator of Poland’s special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said that the detained people are suspected of engaging in espionage and planning attacks.

They were arrested due to “conducting reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure, preparing resources for sabotage, and directly carrying out attacks”, he said.

While Warsaw has not directly linked the arrests, officials have said previously that Poland has been targeted with such attacks in a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to destabilise nations supporting Ukraine.

Several other European countries have also pointed the finger at Moscow as they have suffered similar attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Polish authorities have detained dozens of people over suspected sabotage and espionage over the past three years or so.

Moscow denies the accusations, insisting that they are the result of “Russophobia”.

In May last year, Polish authorities arrested three men for an arson attack. In September, Lithuanian prosecutors broke up a network that they said planned arson and explosive attacks in several European Union states.

The same month, Latvia’s security service announced the detention of a man suspected of passing military intelligence to Russia, and British police arrested three people suspected of running sabotage and espionage operations for Russia.

The United Kingdom has also repeatedly accused Russia of orchestrating sabotage and spy operations on its soil and beyond. The Kremlin has accused London of blaming Moscow for “anything bad that happens”.

Drones increasing concern

This autumn, drone incursions have added to the European security concerns, with Belgium, Denmark and Germany among several countries reporting sightings.

The incursions provoked airport closures in both Germany and Denmark.

“We are at the beginning of a hybrid war against Europe,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. “I think we are going to see more of it … We see the pattern, and it does not look good,” she added.

Tusk pledged to urgently upgrade Poland’s air defences after NATO forces shot down several drones over his country last month.

The European Union, recognising the inefficiency of using multimillion-euro weapons to battle cheap drones, has reacted to the incursions with proposals to develop a “drone wall” on its eastern borders.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said handing over the Ukrainian diver is not in the country’s best interests.

A Polish court has blocked the extradition of a Ukrainian diver wanted by Germany in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, a handover that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier this month was not in his country’s best interests.

The Warsaw District Court rejected the extradition of the man, only identified as Volodymyr Z, on Friday and ordered his immediate release.

The government had previously said that the decision about whether Volodymyr Z should be transferred to Germany was one for the courts alone.

Tusk has said the problem was not that the undersea pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany, were blown up in September 2022, but that they were built at all.

The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was inaugurated in 2011 and carried Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea until Russia cut off supplies in August 2022.

They also damaged the parallel Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never entered service because Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The explosions largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, marking a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies.

Germany’s top prosecutors’ office says Volodymyr Z was one of a group suspected of renting a sailing yacht and planting explosives on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm.

He faces allegations of conspiring to commit an explosives attack and of “anti-constitutional sabotage”.

His Polish lawyer rejects the accusations and says Volodymyr Z has done nothing wrong. He has also questioned whether a case concerning the destruction of Russian property by a Ukrainian at a time when the countries are at war is a criminal matter.

Volodymyr Z’s wife has told Polish media her husband is innocent and that they were together in Poland at the time the pipelines were blown up.

He is one of two Ukrainians whose extradition German judicial authorities have been trying to secure in the case.

A man suspected of being one of the attack’s coordinators was arrested in Italy in August. This week, Italy’s top court annulled a lower court’s decision to order his extradition and called for another panel of judges to reassess the case, his lawyer said.

A POLISH woman has been discovered in a shocking state after allegedly being locked in a tiny room by her parents for nearly three decades.

Mirella, now 42, was just 15-years-old when she vanished from public life in 1998.

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She lived in the city of Świętochłowice, in southern Poland.

Her parents reportedly told neighbours at the time that their teenage daughter had gone missing. For years, no one questioned it.

But this summer, police stumbled upon the horrifying truth.

Officers were called to an apartment block in July after residents heard a disturbance coming from inside.

When they knocked on the door, the elderly landlady, 82, denied anything unusual was going on.

Cops then spoke to Mirella directly. She reassured them that “everything was fine”.

But officers quickly noticed severe injuries on her legs and decided to call and ambulance.

She was rushed to hospital – and doctors determined she was just “days away from death” from infection.

Although Mirella’s discovery took place in July, the shocking case has only now come to light after locals launched a fundraiser to help her recover.

One of the organisers posted online: “Doctors determined that she was only days away from death due to infection.

“She has been in hospital for two months now due to her critical condition.

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“People who knew Mirella thought she left her ‘family’ home almost 30 years ago.

“Unfortunately, the truth turned out to be different.

“Much remains unknown, and several facts cannot be revealed at this stage. One thing is certain: the truth must come to light as to why this young, healthy 15-year-old stopped leaving her home and disappeared without a trace.

“It is unimaginable to spend so much time in one room.

“She herself says that she has never even seen her city develop, that it is behind in everything, that she has missed out on so many things, she has never been to a doctor, never obtained an ID card, never gone for a simple walk or even to the balcony…

“She’s never been to a dentist or a hairdresser.

“Her hair and teeth are in critical condition, even threatening her health, so visits to a private clinic are now necessary.”

Mirella’s nightmare began when she was just a teenager. Her parents allegedly confined her to a small room in their flat and cut her off from the outside world completely.

For 27 years, neighbours believed the couple’s story that their daughter was missing.

Residents assumed only two people lived in the flat: the elderly couple.

Her ordeal only came to an end at the end of July when neighbours heard noises and alerted the emergency services.

When police and paramedics entered the second-floor apartment, they were met with a devastating scene.

Witnesses said Mirella looked “extremely neglected,” and her legs “appeared to be necrotic.”

One neighbour said: “It’s unbelievable. I remember Mirella as a teenager. We used to play in front of the building when I visited my grandmother for the holidays.

“Then she suddenly disappeared under mysterious circumstances.”

After she was rescued, Mirella spent two months in hospital fighting for her life.

Authorities have now launched a criminal investigation.

Prosecutor Agnieszka Kwatera confirmed that the case is being formally investigated.

Junior Asp. Anna Hryniak from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Świętochłowice told Fakt: “After our intervention and transporting the woman to the hospital, the district police officer contacted the Social Welfare Center.

“We are awaiting feedback on this woman’s situation from the Social Welfare Center so we can take further action.”

It is not yet clear what legal consequences Mirella’s parents will face.

The shocking discovery comes just days after a separate case made headlines in Brazil.

A six-year-old girl who had spent her entire life locked inside a room was rescued by police in Sorocaba, São Paulo state.

Authorities were tipped off anonymously and found the child in a state of neglect. She had never been to school, received no vaccinations, and could not speak.

Child protection counsellor Ligia Guerra said: “The girl was very apathetic and dazzled by everything.”

She added that the child’s hair was “tangled” and looked “as if it had never been washed.”

The girl had reportedly eaten nothing that day and survived only on liquids.

She communicated with police and counsellors through sounds rather than words.

The child was immediately taken to hospital for medical checks before being moved to a children’s home.

Both cases have horrified the public and raised questions about how such extreme abuse can go unnoticed for so long.

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Allied forces launch joint patrols near Russia after reports of drone incursions into allied airspace.

The United Kingdom has said two Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft joined a 12-hour NATO patrol earlier this week near Russia’s border, following a series of Russian drone and aircraft incursions into alliance airspace.

“This was a substantial joint mission with our US and NATO allies,” Defence Minister John Healey said on Saturday, as concerns rise that Russia’s war in Ukraine will spill over into Europe.

“Not only does this provide valuable intelligence to boost the operational awareness of our Armed Forces, but sends a powerful message of NATO unity to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and our adversaries,” he added.

The mission involved an RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance jet and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from the Arctic region past Belarus and Ukraine, supported by a US Air Force KC-135 refuelling plane.

British officials said the operation followed several incursions into the airspace of NATO members, including Poland, Romania, and Estonia.

Growing airspace tensions

In recent weeks, Poland and its allies have reinforced air defences amid increasing Russian drone activity. Earlier this month, Warsaw deployed additional systems along its border with Ukraine – which stretches about 530km (330 miles) – after unidentified drones briefly entered Polish airspace.

Poland temporarily closed part of its airspace southeast of Warsaw in late September during a major Russian assault across Ukraine. It was the second such incident this year, with Polish and NATO forces previously intercepting Russian drones that crossed the border – marking their first direct military engagement with Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

Elsewhere, airports in Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland have at times also temporarily suspended flights due to sightings of unidentified drones. Romania and Estonia have directly accused Russia, which has dismissed the claims as “baseless”.

Putin has pledged a “significant” response to what he called “Europe’s militarisation”, rejecting suggestions that Moscow plans to attack NATO as “nonsense”.

“They can’t believe what they’re saying, that Russia is going to attack NATO,” he said on Thursday at a foreign policy forum in Sochi. “They’re either incredibly incompetent if they truly believe it because it’s impossible to believe this nonsense, or they’re simply dishonest.”

Putin said he was closely monitoring Europe’s military build-up and warned that Russia would not hesitate to respond. “In Germany, for example, it is said that the German army should become the strongest in Europe. Very well. We hear that and are watching to see what is meant by it,” he said. “Russia will never show weakness or indecisiveness. We simply cannot ignore what is happening.”

Relations between Moscow and the European Union have continued to deteriorate since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, driving the bloc to strengthen its collective defences amid fears the war could spill across NATO borders.

Here are the key events from day 1,322 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is how things stand on Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

Fighting

• Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces have captured almost 5,000 square kilometres (1,930sq miles) of Ukrainian territory so far this year, and Moscow retains the strategic initiative on the battlefield.
• Russian troops have captured the Ukrainian villages of Novovasylivka in the southeastern Zaporizhia region and Fedorivka in the eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry said.
• Russian air defence units destroyed 184 Ukrainian drones in recent attacks, the RIA Novosti state-owned news agency reports.
• Russia’s air defence units also intercepted and destroyed a drone flying towards Moscow city, said Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital.

• Ukraine’s Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said Russian air strikes have caused “significant” damage to Ukrainian gas production capacity due to the targeting of regional gas infrastructure and power transmission facilities in front-line regions.
• Hrynchuk said Ukraine wants to increase imports of natural gas by 30 percent after Russian attacks on its gas infrastructure, telling reporters she had discussed additional gas imports with Group of Seven (G7) member states.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations, and he added that Ukraine was cooperating with its allies on the matter.
• Russia’s state nuclear energy company has claimed that a Ukrainian drone attempted to strike a nuclear plant in Russia’s Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, but the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into a cooling tower and caused no damage at the site.

Military aid

• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was waiting for clarity from the United States about the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying such weapons could theoretically carry nuclear warheads and reiterated that Moscow would see the provision of such weapons as a serious escalation.
• The Kremlin also said it assumed for now that US President Donald Trump still sought a peace settlement in Ukraine.

Peace talks

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with President Putin and said diplomatic initiatives need to gain momentum to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan’s office said.
• The statement cited Erdogan as saying Turkiye will continue to work for peace and said bilateral relations and regional and global issues were also discussed with Putin.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she believed Trump had come to the conclusion that Russia was not interested in a peace deal with Ukraine, and that the only way forward was to apply pressure, continue to support Ukraine, and impose sanctions on Russia.

Politics and diplomacy

• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it is not in Poland’s interest to hand over a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany for suspected involvement in explosions which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines three years ago.
• Tusk said the problem with Nord Stream 2 was not that it was blown up but that it was built. He added that Russia built the pipelines “against the vital interests not only of our countries, but of all of Europe”.
• A Polish court ruled on Monday that the Ukrainian diver wanted by Germany over his alleged involvement in the explosions, which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline, must remain in custody for another 40 days, his lawyer said.
• European Union governments have agreed to impose limits on the travel of Russian diplomats within the bloc, the Financial Times reported.

Economy

• Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves totalled $46.5bn as of October 1, the National Bank of Ukraine reported on its website.

Warsaw says ground-based air defence, radar reconnaissance systems also brought to the ‘highest state of readiness’.

Polish and allied air defences have been deployed to secure the country’s airspace, its military said, as Russia launched new deadly air strikes on neighbouring Ukraine.

The latest deployment on Sunday comes as the transatlantic security bloc NATO steps up its air patrols across the region in response to suspected Russian airspace incursions and drone sightings in several member states.

“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,” Poland’s operational command said in a post on X early on Sunday.

“These actions are preventive in nature and are aimed at securing the airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened region,” the statement added.

The Polish military said it is monitoring the current situation, stating that its forces under its command “remain fully prepared for immediate response”.

Poland shares an estimated 530km (329 miles) with Ukraine.

As of 02:10 GMT, all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Ivan Fedorov, head of the southeastern Zapoprizhia region, said that a Russian “combined strike” killed a woman and wounded six other people, including a 16-year-old girl.

In late September, Poland was forced to briefly close part of its airspace southeast of the capital, Warsaw, after Russia launched a major attack across Ukraine.

Earlier that month, Polish and NATO forces also intercepted Russian drones which entered Poland’s airspace, marking their first direct military engagement with Moscow since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

On Sunday, NATO member Lithuania reopened its main airport after shutting it for hours following sightings of a “series of balloons” in its airspace.

Airports in Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland have also recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia, which has dismissed the allegations.

Andrzej Bargiel, braving heavy snowfall, glided down the world’s highest mountain on his third attempt.

Poland’s Andrzej Bargiel has become the first climber to ski down the world’s highest mountain without supplemental oxygen, his team and expedition organiser say.

Bargiel glided down Mount Everest’s snowy slopes after reaching the summit of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) mountain on Monday.

“I am on top of the highest mountain in the world, and I’m going to descend it on skis,” Bargiel said in a video taken before his descent and posted on Instagram early on Thursday.

Everest has seen a handful of ski descents but never a continuous downhill without additional oxygen.

Pierwszy w historii zjazd na nartach ze szczytu Mount Everestu bez użycia dodatkowego tlenu ⛷️🏔️

Dziękuję wszystkim za trzymanie kciuków! 🙌

Ogromne podziękowania dla teamu Seven Summit Treks, Chang Dawa, Speed Dawa – bez Was ten sukces nie byłby możliwy 🙏

Serdecznie… pic.twitter.com/udBliwDhZy

— Andrzej Bargiel (@JedrekBargiel) September 25, 2025

In 2000, Slovenian Davorin Karnicar made the first full ski descent from Everest’s summit to base camp using bottled oxygen.

Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, which organised the latest expedition, said Bargiel skied down to Camp 2, spent a night and then reached the base camp on skis the next day.

“This was extremely challenging, and no one had done it before,” Sherpa told the AFP news agency.

Heavy snowfall forced Bargiel to spend 16 hours above 8,000 metres (26,250ft), known as the “death zone” because thin air and low oxygen levels heighten the risk of altitude sickness.

He was greeted with a khada, a traditional Buddhist scarf, when he arrived at the base camp.

“Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel has just skied down Mount Everest,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X.

Bargiel’s team said in a statement that he had made history and called it a “groundbreaking milestone in the world of ski mountaineering”.

Bargiel started eyeing Everest a year after he became the first person to ski down Pakistan’s K2, the second highest mountain in the world, in 2018.

But a dangerous overhanging serac forced him to abandon his 2019 attempt. He returned in 2022, but high winds hindered his plans.

The daredevil adventurer has been on a quest to make ski descents of the highest mountains in the world under his Hic Sunt Leones project, a Latin phrase for “here are lions” and used to refer to uncharted territories.

In Pakistan, he has skied down all four of Karakoram’s mountains that are higher than 8,000 metres and also skied off Nepal’s Manaslu and Shishapangma in Tibet.

Autumn expeditions on Everest are rare because of snowier terrain, shorter and colder days and a narrow summit window compared with the busy spring.

Danish police said drone activity in Aalborg airspace similar to drones that shut down Copenhagen airport earlier this week.

Denmark’s Aalborg airport, which is used for commercial and military flights, was closed due to unidentified drones operating in its airspace, a closure that follows just days after the country’s main Copenhagen airport was forced to shut temporarily due to drone sightings.

Danish police said early on Thursday that “more than one” drone was sighted near Aalborg airport, which is located in northern Denmark, in the Jutland region, and is the country’s fourth-largest city by population.

Police said the drone sightings in Aalborg followed a similar pattern to the drones that halted flights at Copenhagen airport for four hours on Monday, when a number of large and unidentified drones were spotted near what is one of Scandinavia’s busiest airports.

The closure of Aalborg airport affected Denmark’s armed forces because it is used as a military base, police said.

“It is too early to say what the goal of the drones is and who is the actor behind,” a police official told the Reuters news agency, adding that authorities would take down the drones if possible.

The Danish armed forces said they were assisting local and national police with the investigation, but declined to comment further.

Police said later on Thursday morning that the drones had left Aalborg airspace but that drones were also reported in the vicinity of airports in the towns of Esbjerg, Sonderborg and Skrydstrup in the west of the country.

Fighter Wing Skrydstrup in southern Jutland is the base for Denmark’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.

De uidentificerede droner som blev observeret i det nordjyske, befinder sig ikke længere over luftrummet ved Aalborg Lufthavn. En intens efterforskning er gået i gang, og politiet beder alle med oplysninger i sagen henvende sig på telefon 114. #politidk https://t.co/sU3Azw8amD

— Nordjyllands Politi (@NjylPoliti) September 25, 2025

Translation: The unidentified drones that were observed in northern Jutland are no longer in the airspace over Aalborg airport. An intensive investigation has been launched, and the police ask everyone with information about the case to contact them on phone 114.

Northern Jutland police told reporters that “more than one drone” had been sighted near Aalborg airport, and they were flying with lights on.

The drones were first sighted at about 9:44pm local time [19:44 GMT] on Wednesday, according to police, and remained in the airspace for several hours.

Eurocontrol, which oversees European air traffic control, said arrivals and departures at Aalborg airport would be at a “zero rate” until 04:00 GMT on Thursday due to drone activity in the vicinity.

Northern Jutland police said they could not specify the type of drones or whether they were the same as the ones flying over Copenhagen airport on Monday.

Authorities in Denmark said the incident at Copenhagen airport was the most serious attack yet on its critical infrastructure and linked it to a series of suspected Russian drone incursions and other disruptions across Europe.

Authorities in Norway also shut the airspace at Oslo airport for three hours on Monday evening after a drone was sighted.

Speaking on Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she “cannot reject in any way that it could be Russia” that was behind the Copenhagen airport incident.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on social media that “while the facts are still being established, it is clear we are witnessing a pattern of persistent contestation at our borders”.

“Our critical infrastructure is at risk,” she said. “And Europe will respond to this threat with strength and determination.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called any allegations linking Russia to the drones “unfounded”, saying that Russian “aircraft are guided by international regulations in all their flights and do not violate them in any way”.

Earlier this month, Poland closed four of its airports, including one in its capital, Warsaw, after Russian drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace, according to the Polish military.

NATO members have committed to increasing the defence of their borders while reconfirming their allegiance in the aftermath of the drone incident in Poland.

“I agree with President Donald Trump.” Polish President Karol Nawrocki told the UN General Assembly that an “ideological madness” had taken over Europe in recent years, leading to “bad decisions on migration” and a “green craziness.”

At least 15 flights have been diverted as the airport remains closed until the situation is resolved, officials in Denmark say.

Authorities in Denmark have closed Copenhagen airport after unidentified drones were sighted nearby, causing about 15 flights to be diverted, police and airport officials told the AFP news agency.

“The airspace over Copenhagen airport has been closed since 8:30pm (18:30 GMT) due to two to three unidentified drones. No aircraft can take off or land,” airport spokeswoman Lise Agerley Kurstein said.

She said about 15 flights had been diverted to other airports.

Copenhagen police, meanwhile, said that “three or four big drones” had been observed flying over the airport.

“They are still flying back and forth, coming and going,” duty officer Anette Ostenfeldt told the AFP at 10:45pm (20:45 GMT), adding that police were at the airport investigating.

She could not say if the drones were military or civilian.

“But they are bigger than what you as a private individual can buy,” Ostenfeldt said.

Airport officials said the airport would remain closed until the situation was resolved. “We currently have no timeline for reopening,” Kurstein, the airport spokeswoman, said.

The incident comes as several European countries have reported violations of their airspace by Russia. Estonia said on Friday that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets had entered Estonian airspace without permission.

During a Russian air strike on Ukraine the week before, Poland said about 19 drones flew into its airspace. The Polish Air Force and NATO allies shot down some of the unmanned vehicles, marking the first time Russian drones were downed over NATO territory since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Romania also registered a Russian drone in its airspace.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened on Monday to address the issue of airspace violations.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, denied the allegations that Moscow’s fighter jets had violated the airspace of neighbouring Estonia, saying that last Friday’s flight of three of its MiG-31 aircraft was done “strictly in accordance with international airspace regulations”.

The Russian Ministry of Defence echoed his remarks, saying that “objective monitoring” confirmed that the MiGs did not breach Estonian borders.

NATO allies at the UNSC meeting condemned Russia for violating the alliance’s airspace.

“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,” the United Kingdom foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said.

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

German air force says its ‘quick reaction alert force’ was ordered by NATO to investigate Russian plane in neutral airspace.

Germany’s air force says it has scrambled two Eurofighter jets to track a Russian reconnaissance aircraft after it had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea.

In a statement, the air force said its “quick reaction alert force” was ordered on Sunday by NATO to investigate an unidentified aircraft flying without a plan or radio contact.

“It was a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft. After visual identification, we handed over escort duties for the aircraft to our Swedish NATO partners and returned to Rostock-Laage,” it added.

The operation was conducted as NATO prepares to convene its North Atlantic Council on Tuesday to discuss a separate incident involving Russian jets over Estonia.

According to the Reuters news agency, that meeting is to address what Tallinn called an “unprecedented and brazen” violation of its airspace on Friday when three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered without permission and remained for 12 minutes before leaving.

The claim sparked condemnation from NATO and European governments, who called the incursion a “reckless” and “dangerous provocation”.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal requested urgent “NATO Article 4 consultations” on the “totally unacceptable” incursion. Article 4 allows NATO members to hold consultations with the alliance when any state believes its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied the allegation while Estonia summoned Moscow’s charge d’affaires in protest.

Tensions have been heightened in recent weeks by a series of airspace violations along NATO’s eastern flank.

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 that conflict.

Ukraine has said the incidents show Moscow is testing the West’s resolve as the war is in its fourth year. Military analysts note that such incursions serve as intelligence-gathering operations, tests of NATO’s responses and pressure tactics designed to unsettle NATO members bordering Russia.

Kyiv in sanctions push as NATO states on Europe’s eastern flank take preventive action after Moscow’s air incursions.

Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City next week in a bid to urge him to impose stronger sanctions on Russia.

The Ukrainian president shared his plans on Saturday, as Russia intensified attacks on his country following air incursions into Europe’s eastern flank that have sparked anxiety over a potential spillover of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The announcement, reported by the AFP news agency, came the day after the European Union presented its 19th sanctions package.

“We now expect strong sanctions steps from the United States as well – Europe is doing its part,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Saturday.

This week brought us closer to finalizing the 19th sanctions package – we expect its approval soon. We will quickly synchronize the package in Ukraine. Russia’s energy resources are being restricted. The infrastructure of the “shadow fleet” will face new pressure. Cryptocurrency… pic.twitter.com/JzgvsQQHHQ

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 20, 2025

Trump already signalled last week that he was ready to impose “major sanctions” on Russia, which has so far evaded his attempts for a ceasefire, but only if all NATO allies agree to completely halt buying oil from Moscow.

Zelenskyy is also expected to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent future Russian attacks after an eventual truce, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he would not accept the presence of Western troops in Ukraine.

Moscow stepped up attacks on Ukraine overnight, firing 40 missiles and some 580 drones in one of the biggest barrages of Russia’s war on its neighbour, killing at least three people and wounding dozens.

Preventive operations in east

NATO countries took measures to strengthen defences on Europe’s eastern flank after Russian drone incursions in Poland and Romania over the past two weeks, and unprecedented reports of three Russian fighter jets entering Estonian airspace on Friday.

Poland’s army said that Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Saturday in a “preventative operation” to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched air strikes targeting western Ukraine, near the Polish border.

The United Kingdom said that its fighter jets had flown their first NATO air defence sortie to patrol Polish skies and defend against potential aerial threats from Russia as part of the alliance’s Eastern Sentry mission.

On Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied that its aircraft flew into Estonia’s airspace the day before, but Estonian officials said the 12-minute violation was confirmed by radar and visual contact.

Colonel Ants Kiviselg, the commander of Estonia’s Military Intelligence Centre, said that it still “needs to be confirmed” whether the border violation was deliberate.

The key NATO front-line state is bolstering its defence as the threat of a Russian incursion into its territory grows.

The United States State Department has announced it has approved the sale of Javelin Missile Systems and related logistical equipment to Poland for an estimated $780m, as the key NATO front-line state bolsters its defences with the threat of Russian incursions growing.

Announcing the potential sale in a statement on Thursday, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the Polish government had requested to buy 2,506 FGM-148F Javelin missiles and 253 Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units.

Javelins are a portable, shoulder-fired missile system used to target tanks, lighter armoured vehicles, bunkers, and low-flying aircraft.

In addition, Poland will receive non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment) as part of the package, including missile simulation rounds, battery coolant units, toolkits, spares support, as well as training and US government and contractor technical assistance.

The US agency said it had already notified Congress of the potential sale for approval.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the DSCA said in a statement.

“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by upgrading its existing legacy Command Launch Units and increasing its defence inventory, thereby reinforcing its capability to protect Polish sovereign territory and improving its ability to meet NATO requirements,” it added.

Also on Thursday, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland would sign a cooperation agreement with Kyiv for Ukraine’s military to train Polish soldiers and engineers in drone defence methods.

The announcement came just a week after Polish and NATO forces shot down more than 20 drones violating the country’s airspace during a Russian aerial attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

The September 10 incident was the first time that Polish and NATO forces had become engaged in the conflict, with Ukraine claiming that Moscow was using drone incursions to test the West’s willingness to respond to aggression.

Russia said its forces had not intended to hit Polish targets and had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the aerial incursion.

Denmark also announced this week that it will acquire long-range, high-precision weapons for the first time to deter Russia, in what Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as a “paradigm shift in Danish defence policy”.

Frederiksen said Russia constitutes a threat to Denmark for “years to come”, even if there is no imminent danger of an attack.

“With these weapons, the defence forces will be able to hit targets at long range and, for example, neutralise enemy missile threats,” she said.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is hoping to soon receive $3.5-3.6bn worth of weapons through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List initiative, a new mechanism allowing NATO states to finance the transfer of US-sourced weapons and technology to Kyiv.

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki demanded to know whether an air-to-air missile fired by one of its F-16 fighters during last week’s Russian drone incursion destroyed a house. The calls for an investigation follow a Polish media report that an AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) missile fired at a drone went off course, causing the damage.

Regardless of what happened, Russia is ultimately to blame for the destruction because it launched the drones, Poland’s prime minister proclaimed.

Nawrocki “expects the government to promptly clarify the incident in the town of Wyry,” the Polish National Security Bureau (BBN) stated on X . “It is within the Government’s purview to utilize all tools and institutions to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”

Shortly after the drone incursion became public, Polish officials showed pictures of a house in Wvyry that had been destroyed during the wave of about 19 drones.

“It was an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile from our F-16, which experienced a guidance system malfunction during flight and failed to fire,” the Polish RMF24 news outlet reported on Tuesday, citing an anonymous state security agency source. “Fortunately, it did not arm or explode because the fuse safety devices were activated.”

The publication said a former Polish military intelligence officer emphasized that the damage to the house was caused by kinetic impact. 

“There was no explosion, no detonation, as can be seen in the photos of the destroyed house,”  Lt. Col. Maciej Korowaj explained.

The AIM-120 has about a 40-pound blast fragmentation warhead.

While still unconfirmed, the RMF24 claim adds new context to initial reports that the remains of an AIM-120 were discovered among debris collected after the Russian drone flights into Poland. At the time, there were discrepancies about exactly where the missile remains were found and questions about who fired it.

“Seven unmanned aerial vehicles and the wreckage of one missile of unknown origin were found,” Karolina Galecka, a spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of the Interior, said on Sept. 10, after the wave of Russian drones subsided.

While the RFM24 report claims an F-16 fired the missile, Dutch F-35s, which also carry AIM-120s, took part in the counter-drone operation, as well.

As TWZ regularly points out, even the world’s best and most proven missiles fail. There are no exceptions to that rule. The rate at which it occurs can vary greatly, but missile technology is imperfect and misrepresented in the media as having almost shield-like abilities that aren’t reflective of reality. There is always a failure rate that must be assumed.

Doczekaliśmy się momentu w którym Polak może w swoim ogrodzie znaleźć resztki naszego albo holenderskiego pocisku powietrze – powietrze AIM-120 C-7 AMRAAM którym strzelano do rosyjskich dronów.

Gwoli jasności, tonie jest powód do radości

1/ pic.twitter.com/MavfmjGF4L

— Dawid Kamizela (@DawidKamizela) September 10, 2025

As we stated in our initial report on the drone flights, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that while at least three to four drones were shot down, another three to four appeared to have simply crashed in Polish territory.

On Tuesday, Tusk pointed the finger at Moscow for what happened to the home.

“All responsibility for the damage to the house in Wyrykach falls on the authors of the drone provocation, that is, Russia,” Tusk stated on X. “The appropriate services will inform the public, the government, and the president about all the circumstances of the incident after the proceedings are completed. Hands off Polish soldiers.”

Cała odpowiedzialność za uszkodzenia domu w Wyrykach spada na autorów dronowej prowokacji, czyli Rosję. O wszystkich okolicznościach incydentu odpowiednie służby poinformują opinię publiczną, rząd i prezydenta po zakończeniu postępowania. Łapy precz od polskich żołnierzy.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 16, 2025

BBN said that it is working to verify RMF24’s claims about the errant AIM-120 impact in part to ward off Russian disinformation that is a bit part of Moscow’s playbook.

“There is no consent for withholding information,” the bureau explained in its X post. “In the face of disinformation and hybrid warfare, the messages conveyed to Poles must be verified and confirmed.”

The bureau also expressed consternation that no official information was provided to the government about the missile claim.

“At the same time, the President emphasizes that he was not informed in this regard, nor was the BBN, and the matter was not presented or clarified at the National Security Council,” BBN noted.

In our previous stories about the drone wave into Poland, we noted that Tusk and other officials say Russia deliberately sent those weapons across the border during a massive attack on Ukraine. 

“The Russian provocation was nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities and responses,” Nawrocki claimed on Sept. 11. “It was an attempt to check the mechanism of action within NATO and our ability to react. Thanks to the wonderful Polish pilots and our allies, Poland, which is in NATO, will neither fear nor be frightened by Russian drones.”

Rosyjska prowokacja była niczym więcej tylko próbą testowania naszych zdolności i reagowania. Była próbą sprawdzenia mechanizmu działania w ramach NATO i naszych zdolności do reakcji.

Dzięki wspaniałym polskim pilotom oraz naszym sojusznikom, Polska, która jest w NATO, nie… pic.twitter.com/HhdW3uAu1T

— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) September 11, 2025

Russian officials, meanwhile, claimed they did not target Poland.

In response to the incursions, NATO stood up Operation Eastern Sentry to help defend against future such events. The new effort will initially deploy a mixed force of fighter jets and an air defense frigate, but is eventually planned to expand 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.

It didn’t take long for the new NATO operation to kick in, as jets were launched Saturday in Romania and Poland to counter suspected Russian drones. 

Romanian officials said two of its F-16 Vipers were sent aloft to intercept a Russian drone entering Romanian airspace at 6:05 p.m. local time on Saturday during another strike on neighboring Ukraine. The drone was not shot down.

The Romanian response, along with the one in Poland, marked the first activations of Eastern Sentry, a NATO spokesman told us on Saturday.

Whether the Polish home was destroyed by one of the nation’s air-to-air missiles or a Russian drone, the incident highlights the danger presented by drone incursions into an area just outside of an active war zone.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says an investigation is under way after drone spotted over government buildings in Warsaw.

Authorities in Poland have said that two Belarusian citizens were detained and a drone was “neutralised” after it was flown over government buildings and the presidential residence in the capital city, Warsaw.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said early on Tuesday that members of the country’s State Protection Services apprehended the two Belarusians, and police were “investigating the circumstances of the incident”.

The Associated Press news agency quoted Colonel Boguslaw Piorkowski, a spokesperson for the protection service, saying that the drone was not shot down by Polish forces but landed after authorities apprehended the operators.

“The impression is that this is not something that flew in from abroad but rather launched locally,” Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, Poland’s minister of development funds and regional policy, told local media outlet TVN 24, according to the AP.

The minister also advised the public against rushing to conclusions or associating the incident with last week’s high-profile incursion by multiple Russian drones into Polish airspace during an aerial attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the AP reported.

Przed chwilą Służba Ochrony Państwa zneutralizowała drona operującego nad budynkami rządowymi (Parkowa) i Belwederem. Zatrzymano dwóch obywateli Białorusi. Policja bada okoliczności incydentu.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 15, 2025

Translation: Just now, the State Protection Service neutralised a drone operating over government buildings (Parkowa) and the Belweder. Two Belarusian citizens were detained. The police are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

The reported arrest of the Belarusian drone operators by Polish authorities comes as thousands of troops from Belarus and Russia take part in the “Zapad (West) 2025” military drills, which kicked off on Friday and are due to end on Tuesday.

Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Belarus, closed their frontier crossings and bolstered defences in advance of the exercises, which authorities in Minsk said involve 6,000 soldiers from Belarus and 1,000 from Russia.

Poland is also on high alert after last week’s Russian drone incursions, which led to Polish and NATO fighter jets mobilising to defend against what was described as an “unprecedented violation of Polish airspace” by Moscow.

Polish F-16 and Dutch F-35 fighter jets, as well as Italian AWACS surveillance planes, deployed to counter the drones, marking the first time that NATO-allied forces have engaged Russian military assets since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

One of the drones damaged a residential building in Wyryki, eastern Poland, though nobody was reported injured, according to the Reuters news agency.

On Friday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that the Western military alliance would increase its defence “posture” in Eastern Europe following the Polish airspace violation.

Operation “Eastern Sentry” will include military assets from a range of NATO members, including Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Rutte said, describing the incursion as “reckless” and “unacceptable”.

Amid the increased tension with Russia, NATO member Romania also reported a drone incursion on Saturday, which led to the scrambling of two F-16 fighter jets as well as two Eurofighters and a warning to Romanian citizens to take cover.

Romanian Minister of National Defence Ionut Mosteanu said the fighter jets came close to shooting down the drone before it exited Romanian airspace into neighbouring Ukraine.

Moscow’s ambassador to Romania was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, where Bucharest “conveyed its strong protest against this unacceptable and irresponsible act, which constitutes a violation of [its] sovereignty”.

Russia was “urgently requested… to prevent any future violations”, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Moscow and Minsk insist, however, that the drills are defensive, adding that Western security concerns are ‘nonsense’.

Russia has showcased some of its advanced weapons while conducting a joint military drill with Belarusian troops amid heightened tensions with NATO countries following alleged violations of the airspaces of Poland and Romania by Moscow.

Approximately 7,000 troops, including 6,000 Belarusian soldiers, participated in exercises held at locations in Belarus and Russia.

Russia conducted a test strike with a Kalibr missile from the nuclear submarine named Arkhangelsk in the Barents Sea during the joint Russia-Belarus “Zapad” military drills, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday. The strike on the designated target was carried out by the submarine from an underwater position, Interfax reported.

Moscow and Minsk insisted on Tuesday that the drills are defensive, meant to simulate a response to an invasion.

But NATO states along the alliance’s eastern flank see them as a threat, particularly after alleged Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace last week. Warsaw has since warned that “open conflict” is closer now than at any point since World War II. Romania on Sunday accused Russia of drone incursion during its attacks on Ukraine.

Britain’s Labour Party-led government on Monday announced its fighter jets will fly air defence missions over Poland to counter aerial threats.

Russia has been at war with Ukraine since it launched a ground invasion in 2022.

Belarus’s Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin dismissed the NATO concerns.

“We have heard a lot of things … that we are threatening NATO, that we are going to invade the Baltic states,” he told reporters at the Barysaw base, east of Minsk. “Simply put, all kinds of nonsense.”

Still, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania have stepped up security, closing borders and carrying out counter-drills.

Belarus invites international observers

Belarus allowed rare media access, inviting foreign journalists, TV crews and even US army officers.

“Thank you for the invitation,” Bryan Shoupe, the US military attache, said as he shook hands with the Belarusian defence minister.

“Give the American guests the best places and show them everything that interests them,” the defence minister said. Cameras captured Khrenin shaking hands with two US Army officers, thanking them for attending.

The drills were a tightly choreographed show of force. Camouflaged armoured vehicles splashed across a river, helicopters swooped low over treetops, and young conscripts loaded shells into artillery systems. Others prepared drones for mock strikes.

Reporters were excluded from the naval manoeuvres in the Barents and Baltic seas, as well as the exercises near Grodna, close to the Polish and Lithuanian borders.

Minsk highlighted the limited scale of the drills, stressing that only 7,000 troops were involved. By comparison, the 2021 Zapad exercises included about 200,000 personnel, just months before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Khrenin said the reduced numbers reflected Minsk’s efforts to ease tensions. “We have nothing to hide,” he insisted. “We are only preparing to defend our country.”

Belarus also pointed to the international presence, saying observers from 23 countries attended, many of them long-standing allies of Minsk and Moscow.

A spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) says it has no force posture changes to announce after an unprecedented flurry of Russian drones violated Polish airspace overnight. Authorities in Poland say they have assessed that the incursions were not accidental. Polish and Dutch fighters shot down several of the intruding uncrewed aircraft. The alliance has described this as a first-of-its-kind event, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that the risk of a broader conflict in Europe is now greater than at any point since the end of World War II.

Polish authorities say Russian drones began to violate the country’s airspace at around 11:30 PM local time last night. The last incursion was reported at 6:30 AM local time this morning. The intrusions came amid a new round of Russian drone and missile attacks on neighboring Ukraine.

Exactly how many Russian drones, and of what specific types, made their way into Poland’s airspace is unclear. Polish Prime Minister Tusk said that between 11 and 19 violations of Polish airspace were recorded overnight, many of them crossing the border from Belarus. He said that at least three, and likely four, drones were shot down. In his Polish-language statements, Tusk used the term “kilkanaście,” which means a number between 11 and 19, and has no direct English translation.

Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minister, subsequently said there had been 19 total airspace violations. He also said Poland has assessed that the drones “did not veer off course but were deliberately targeted.”

Poland’s Tusk has also said that while at least three to four drones were shot down, another three to four appeared to have simply crashed in Polish territory. According to Karolina Gałecka, a spokesperson for the Polish interior minister, the remains of seven drones and an unidentified “rocket” have been recovered so far. Speaking at a briefing today, the spokesperson for the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command, Jacek Goryszewski, said debris currently categorized as being of “unknown origin” may turn out to be from an interceptor fired by NATO’s air defenses.

Pictures that have emerged so far show the drones that have been retrieved look to be Gerberas, a cheaper and simplified Russian-developed complement to variants and derivatives of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136s. Gerbera can be configured as kamikaze drones or decoys, and it is unclear whether the ones that flew into Poland were armed. With an estimated range of just under 373 miles (600 kilometers), it is not immediately clear where Gerberas may have been launched from that put them within reach of Polish territory.

❗️Breaking: More than 20, most likely 23, Russian drones were detected in a nighttime violation of Polish airspace, — Polish media Rzeczpospolita reported, referring to the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces. pic.twitter.com/piwOkFrwqt

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 10, 2025

The debris has been found mostly in areas in eastern Poland, relatively close to the country’s borders with Ukraine and Belarus, but some has also been discovered much further north and west. The drone incursions had also led to the temporary closure of four Polish airports, including the country’s main Chopin Airport in the capital Warsaw, although this has since reopened and flights have resumed. One of the other airports closed was Rzeszów-Jasionka in Poland’s south-east, which is a major hub for arms transfers to Ukraine.

Locations in Poland where Russian drones were found today shown on a map:

Cześniki (Zamość County, Lublin Voivodeship) – 1 drone,
Czosnówka (Bialski County, Lublin Voivodeship) – 1 drone,
Wyryki Wola (Włodawa County, Lublin Voivodeship) – 1 drone and a damaged building,… pic.twitter.com/tVfugCeOrA

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 10, 2025

NOTAMs for closures at Modlin and Warsaw are set to expire at 0330 UTC (~60 minutes from now), while NOTAMs for Rzeszow and Lublin are scheduled to end at 0600 (all times preliminary and subject to change). Transit traffic over Poland continuing to stay west of normal routes. pic.twitter.com/QRd97Nw4Bv

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 10, 2025

At the time of writing, there have been no reports of casualties, but at least one Russian drone hit a house when it came down.

⚡ 7 drones and rocket debris of unknown origin found in Poland

This was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Karolina Gałecka, during a press conference. “We have found 7 drones and one piece of a rocket,” she confirmed.… https://t.co/EnsxzMOe6u pic.twitter.com/u6V2jz0iQj

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 10, 2025

Poland had already put its forces on high alert ahead of the first airspace violations last night. Polish and Ukrainian authorities have also confirmed they were actively coordinating throughout the night as Russian drones were tracked heading west.

Another report from the Commander of our Air Force. We are clarifying all available data and analyzing the details of this Russian strike.

Already during the night, Ukrainian forces were informing the Polish side through the relevant channels about the movement of Russian…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 10, 2025

More information is coming in about the intrusion of Russian attack drones into Polish territory. As of now, it’s known about 8 drones. Increasing evidence indicates that this movement, this direction of strike, was no accident. There have been previous incidents of individual…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 10, 2025

Prime Minister Tusk’s office has confirmed that assets that were “directed to the anticipated area of operation” included two Polish F-16s, as well as Polish Army Mi-24 Hind, Mi-17 Hip, and S-70 Black Hawk helicopters. At least one Polish Saab 340 Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft also appears to have participated in the operation last night, based on publicly available flight-tracking data. The look-down capability offered by the Erieye’s radar would have been particularly valuable for spotting small, low-flying drones. Poland’s armed forces also have extensive ground-based air defense capabilities.

After a major 9+ hour mission hunting Russian drones and coordinating air defenses overnight, Poland’s SAAB 340 airborne early warning aircraft is heading for home. pic.twitter.com/L1McAqVWz1

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 10, 2025

1x Polish AEW&C aircraft over Poland currently monitoring the eastern border.
Additionally, 1x NATO refueling aircraft was over Polish airspace supporting fighter jets, including at least one F-35, in the task of neutralizing Russian drones that have crossed the Polish border. pic.twitter.com/Dek3DwGFLb

— Amelia Smith (@ameliairheart) September 10, 2025

Polish authorities also said that two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters took part in the response to the Russian drone incursions. The Netherlands has separately said that its F-35s were among the assets that helped secure Poland’s skies overnight. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) currently has Joint Strike Fighters stationed at Malbork in Poland, to help bolster the country’s air defenses.

Dutch F-35s have intercepted Russian drones over Poland.

Within the NATO framework, our F-35s make a significant contribution to the defence of our collective security. This is precisely what we stand ready to do.

This is how we keep the escalating Russian threat at a distance. pic.twitter.com/fxZDbAXuTG

— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) September 10, 2025

NATO has further confirmed that an Italian Air Force AEW&C plane, which would be one of that country’s modified Gulfstream G-550 aircraft, as well as at least one A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) from a fleet the alliance operates collectively, were launched in response to the incursions into Polish airspace.

German Patriot surface-to-air missile systems forward-deployed in Poland were also at least placed on alert. A NATO source separately told Reuters that Patriot surface-to-air missiles in the region detected the drones with their radars, but had not engaged them.

Exactly what Polish and other NATO assets were used to shoot down Russian drones is unclear. The Dutch Minister of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, has confirmed that Polish and Dutch fighters were among them.

Video, seen immediately below, has emerged that is said to show a Russian drone being downed by a Polish Air Force F-16, but this remains unverified. A picture of debris from an AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) that is said to have been found in Poland earlier today is also circulating online, but this is also unconfirmed. Both F-16s and F-35As could have employed AIM-120s, as well as AIM-9 Sidewinder variants, and even potentially their internal guns.

Doczekaliśmy się momentu w którym Polak może w swoim ogrodzie znaleźć resztki naszego albo holenderskiego pocisku powietrze – powietrze AIM-120 C-7 AMRAAM którym strzelano do rosyjskich dronów.

Gwoli jasności, tonie jest powód do radości

1/ pic.twitter.com/MavfmjGF4L

— Dawid Kamizela (@DawidKamizela) September 10, 2025

Poland’s Tusk thanked both his country’s armed forces and NATO allies for shooting down drones overnight.

My thanks and congratulations to the Polish Operational Command and our NATO pilots for shooting down Russian drones over Poland. Actions speak louder than words.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 10, 2025

Regardless, it is important to note here that NATO jets, including Dutch F-35s in Poland, have scrambled in response to Russian drones into the airspace over alliance members in the past. However, they had not fired any weapons in response to those intrusions until last night.

“This is the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in Allied airspace,” Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) told ABC News.

❝Last night showed that we are able to defend every inch of NATO territory including its airspace.❞

— @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte on the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones

— NATO (@NATO) September 10, 2025

Though the immediate response to the Russian drone incursions overnight has concluded, Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that the search for downed drones was still underway as of Wednesday.

“We ask for calm and to share only the announcements of the military and state services. In case of encountering object fragments, please do not approach them and inform the police,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X.

Nad Polską trwa operacja neutralizacji obiektów, które naruszyły granicę RP. Prezydent i Premier zostali powiadomieni. Wszystkie służby działają. Prosimy o stosowanie się do komunikatów Wojska Polskiego i Policji. Samoloty użyły uzbrojenia przeciwko wrogim obiektom. Jesteśmy w…

— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) September 10, 2025

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces called the overnight violations “unprecedented” and “an act of aggression that posed a real risk to the lives of our citizens.”

❗️W wyniku dzisiejszego ataku Federacji Rosyjskiej na terytorium Ukrainy doszło do bezprecedensowego w skali naruszenia polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej przez obiekty typu dron. Jest to akt agresji, który stworzył realne zagrożenie dla bezpieczeństwa naszych obywateli.

Na… pic.twitter.com/w9ygKlRh8V

— Dowództwo Operacyjne RSZ (@DowOperSZ) September 10, 2025

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces called the overnight violations “unprecedented” and “an act of aggression that posed a real risk to the lives of our citizens.”

“There is no reason to claim that we are in a state of war… but the situation is significantly more dangerous than all previous ones,” Poland’s Prime Minister Tusk said. He further warned that the prospect of a large-scale conflict in Europe is now “closer than at any time since the Second World War.”

Warsaw’s immediate response included the foreign ministry summoning Andrey Ordash, Russia’s chargé d’affaires in the Polish capital. However, Ordash told the Russian RIA Novosti news agency that Poland has not offered any evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.

Poland has also now invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which forms the legal basis for NATO. 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.”

NATO’s article four calls on allies to “consult” in case of a threat. It was last invoked in 2022 after the Russian invasion by several Eastern European countries. Among other things, it would be a test of Trump’s approach to the alliance. Just a week ago Trump had said: “We are… https://t.co/yddJZAcP4U

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) September 10, 2025

Since NATO was created in 1949, Article 4 has only been invoked seven times. The last of these was in 2022, in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The North Atlantic Treaty also includes a collective defense provision, Article 5, which has only ever been invoked once, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

As noted, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) told TWZ that there are “no force posture adjustments to announce at this time.” U.S. European Command (EUCOM) declined to comment.

It remains to be seen what kind of response NATO might formulate following the Article 4 consultation.

A White House official told TWZ that President Donald Trump and the White House are tracking the reports out of Poland, and there are plans for President Trump to speak with Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki today.

Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have been swift to condemn Russia’s actions. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that the “repeated violations of NATO airspace” by Russian drones were “fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.”

Repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones are fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations. After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored.

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) September 9, 2025

Republican congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the foreign affairs committee, went further, describing the incursions as an “act of war.”

Russia is attacking NATO ally Poland with Iranian shahed drones less than a week after President Trump hosted President Nawrocki at the White House. This is an act of war, and we are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked…

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) September 10, 2025

Wilson called upon President Donald Trump to respond with sanctions “that will bankrupt the Russian war machine.”

Increasingly, questions are being asked at the highest levels as to whether the drone incursion was a deliberate act, although the Kremlin has denied this.

German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said the Russian drones were “clearly set on this course” and “did not have to fly this route to reach Ukraine.”

German Defense Minister Pistorius:

There is definitely no reason to assume that [Russian drones violating Polish airspace] was a matter of course correction errors or anything of that sort. These drones were quite obviously deliberately directed on this course.

According to the… https://t.co/Qw8C7h9wtQ pic.twitter.com/71AAh3x8Yz

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 10, 2025

“There is absolutely no reason to believe that this was a course correction error or anything of the sort,” Pistorius told the German parliament. He added that, according to the Polish government, the drones were armed with warheads, although this claim doesn’t seem to be otherwise supported.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, claims that there were no intentions to engage any targets on Polish territory, but has provided no further information to substantiate that assertion. The type of drones used are also indicative of this being a probing action to give Russia a valuable opportunity to observe NATO’s response. It could also serve as a form of intimation.

Same outward public signaling as if they had used larger Geran drones, but with a much lower risk to Russia of any actual NATO response given the much smaller warhead (if they even carried any and weren’t the decoy variant).

— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) September 10, 2025

The Russian government already stands accused of an escalating campaign of hostile activities short of all-out war across Europe since it launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Even before then, Russia had a long history of so-called hybrid or gray-zone warfare operations. Poland has previously accused Russia, as well as its ally Belarus, of deliberately fomenting crises along their shared borders.

Altogether, the full scale and scope of the response from Poland and the rest of NATO to last night’s Russian drone incursions, as well as whether that is the start of a trend of escalating airspace violations, remains to be seen.

Update: 2:00 PM Eastern –

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he has now “received not only expressions of solidarity with Poland, but above all proposals for concrete support for the air defense of our country” following conversations today with the leaders of other NATO members in Europe and the alliance’s Secretary General. Tusk did not elaborate on what that support might entail. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had previously said that “allies expressed solidarity with Poland and denounced Russia’s reckless behaviour.”

❝Allies expressed solidarity with Poland and denounced Russia’s reckless behaviour.❞

Following a North Atlantic Council meeting, @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte delivered a statement to the media on the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones

Tap to watch his full statement ↓

— NATO (@NATO) September 10, 2025

It is worth reiterating here that Poland has significant air defense capabilities itself and has been making major investments to expand and improve them. This includes plans for a new aerostat-based elevated airborne early warning system that would be especially useful for spotting and tracking incoming low-flying threats like drones and cruise missiles.

“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” U.S. President Donald Trump has now written in a post on his Truth Social social media network, but what actions he may be looking to take are unclear. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and major political ally of Trump’s, has said the U.S. Congress is prepared to help impose new sanctions and tariffs on Russia in response.

I completely agree with President @realDonaldTrump‘s sentiment in response to Russia’s insane violation of Polish airspace for hours, deploying multiple drones.

Mr. President, Congress is with you. We stand ready to pass legislation authorizing bone crushing new sanctions and… pic.twitter.com/LIqYmS4rG7

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 10, 2025

Fox News has reported that no U.S. forces were involved in the response to the drone incursions overnight. A report from CNN says that Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, had been on his way to Poland at the time.

A NATO spokesman tells @LucasFoxNews there was ‘no U.S. military involvement’ in shooting down the Russian drones.
“This is the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in Allied airspace.”

Attributable to U.S. Army Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, Supreme Headquarters… https://t.co/FSDcqYsp8h

— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) September 10, 2025

More imagery of Russian drones that came down in Poland also continues to emerge.

This remains a developing story.

Howard Altman contributed to this story.

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