In first for NATO, Poland downs Russian drones amid mass attack on Ukraine as Putin tests Western resolve
Editor's note: The story has been updated with additional details.
Polish authorities temporarily closed Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport and placed the country’s air defenses on high alert overnight on Sept. 10, following what they described as "an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects."
The incident occurred as Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a massive wave of overnight air strikes targeting Ukraine.
The Polish Armed Forces’ Operational Command said it had activated all necessary procedures to protect national airspace and scrambled both Polish and NATO aircraft in response to the threat.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that a military operation related to multiple violations of Polish airspace is underway.
"The military has used weapons against the targets," Tusk said, without explicitly naming the origin of the drones. He also added that he has informed the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the situation.
With the Polish military confirming that the aerial objects were shot down, the incident marks what is believed to be the first direct engagement by a NATO member against Russian assets in its own airspace since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
While Polish fighter jets have been scrambled before in response to the war, previous deployments primarily involved monitoring or escorting Russian drones that briefly entered Polish airspace en route to targets in Ukraine — not engaging or shooting them down.
"Ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of high alert," the Polish Air Force said, later adding that the search for and location of possible crash sites for the targeted drones is ongoing.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he has been in constant contact with Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz since the start of the incursion and will lead a National Security Bureau briefing with Tusk.
"Our homeland's security is the highest priority and requires close cooperation," Nawrocki said on X.
According to the Polish defense minister, the country's military "tracked several objects that violated the airspace" and shot down those drones that could pose a threat. The search for impact sites and wreckage is ongoing.
Polish authorities also urged residents in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin regions to stay indoors.
Lublin region borders Ukraine directly; Podlaskie is about 50–70 kilometers (30-43 miles) from the border at its closest point, while Mazowieckie is located roughly 120–150 kilometers (75-93 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
A notice published on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website confirmed that Warsaw’s main international airport was temporarily unavailable due to "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security" as well as three other airports.
The Rzeszow–Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland—a key hub for passenger travel and arms shipments to Ukraine—was among the airports temporarily closed, according to the FAA. Polish authorities have not officially confirmed the closures.
Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson called the Sept. 10 attack 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
Senator Dick Durbin echoed Wilson's comments, adding that "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."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been reportedly briefed on reports of Russian drones over Poland, according to CNN.
Earlier that night, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that Russian drones were moving westward and posed a potential threat to Zamość, located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The post was later deleted.
The developments come amid one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in recent weeks, targeting multiple Ukrainian regions and prompting alerts in neighboring countries.
Several waves of explosions were heard overnight in Ukraine's central and western regions, including Vinnytsia, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv.
The Sept. 10 incident came just days after Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine, which killed at least four people and injured more than 40, drawing swift condemnation from Kyiv's European partners.
Russia launched a record 810 drones and 13 missiles into Ukraine overnight on Sept. 7, including four Iskander-M (KN-23) ballistic missiles and nine Iskander-K cruise missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 747 drones and four cruise missiles, but several others struck 33 locations across the country. For the first time, the Russian strike damaged a major government building in Kyiv.
