--- title: "After Unprecedented Night Of Downing Drones Over Poland, NATO Reports No Posture Changes (Updated)" description: "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…" date: "2025-09-10" modified: "2025-09-10" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/after-unprecedented-night-of-downing-drones-over-poland-nato-reports-no-posture-changes" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "Drones" - "Europe" - "F-35" - "F-35A" - "Fighters" - "NATO" - "News & Features" - "Polish Air Force" - "Royal Netherlands Air Force" - "Russia" - "Ukraine" --- # After Unprecedented Night Of Downing Drones Over Poland, NATO Reports No Posture Changes (Updated) ![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.]() *NATO/Arnaud Chamberlin* 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. https://twitter.com/alaynatreene/status/1965759297159389365 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." https://twitter.com/sikorskiradek/status/1965808917520261138 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. https://twitter.com/bayraktar\_1love/status/1965731924368109652 https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1965677633934684571 https://twitter.com/bayraktar\_1love/status/1965695956948828671 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. https://twitter.com/bayraktar\_1love/status/1965739879658123621 https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/1965604658988392752 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. https://twitter.com/nexta\_tv/status/1965720310709121057 https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1965684538077860178 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. https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1965707153068449798 https://twitter.com/zelenskyyua/status/1965677630801211444?s=46 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](). https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1965630216757547064 https://twitter.com/ameliairheart/status/1965625192475922556 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. https://twitter.com/DefensieMin/status/1965705908996182180 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. https://twitter.com/shape\_nato/status/1965691690590908634?s=46 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. https://twitter.com/wolski\_jaros/status/1965681298250608922?s=46 https://twitter.com/DawidKamizela/status/1965740158529204632 Poland's Tusk thanked both his country's armed forces and NATO allies for shooting down drones overnight. https://twitter.com/donaldtusk/status/1965701079561392586 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. ![]() *A stock photo of a Dutch pilot running toward an F-35 during a scramble. *Royal Netherlands Air Force** "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*](). https://twitter.com/nato/status/1965743410079227942?s=46 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. https://twitter.com/KosiniakKamysz/status/1965606271593136342 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.” https://twitter.com/DowOperSZ/status/1965618553194766773 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.” https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1965694124926886217 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.” https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin/status/1965560176716730715 Republican congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the foreign affairs committee, went further, describing the incursions as an “act of war.” https://twitter.com/RepJoeWilson/status/1965571179986510169 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.” https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko\_en/status/1965755918613623096 “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. https://twitter.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1965732856245924233 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." https://twitter.com/donaldtusk/status/1965815882309071229 https://twitter.com/nato/status/1965807730217632240 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. https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1965801620488286604 *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. https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1965791315700089034 https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1965835150329270740 More imagery of Russian drones that came down in Poland also continues to emerge. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1965832724163506673 *This remains a developing story.* *Howard Altman contributed to this story*. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()