NATO engages Russia for first time ever as Poland downs drones amid mass attack on Ukraine
Editor's note: The story has been updated with additional details.
Poland confirmed downing Russian drones in its airspace during a mass aerial attack on Ukraine overnight on Sept. 10 in what is the first case of a NATO member engaging Moscow's military assets over its territory during the war.
In the wake of the incident, Warsaw requested consultations with NATO allies under Article 4, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"The situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II," he told the Polish parliament.
The incident occurred as Russia launched waves of drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, primarily targeting central and western regions and inflicting civilian casualties.
"Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones," Tusk said on X, adding that those "that posed a direct threat were shot down."
Polish authorities temporarily closed Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport and placed the country’s air defenses on high alert overnight after what they described as "an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects."
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.
Earlier, Tusk confirmed that a military operation related to multiple violations of Polish airspace was underway without initially naming the drones' origin. The prime minister added that he has informed the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the situation.
Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly violated the airspace of Poland and other NATO members during strikes on Ukraine, but until Sept. 10, there had never been a confirmed case of local defenses shooting one down.
Polish fighter jets have been scrambled before in response to the war, but 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.
The Polish military later said the Polish and allied aircraft, including Dutch F-35 fighters, concluded their operation by 7:42 a.m. local time, and air defenses and radar systems resumed normal activity. The search for impact sites and wreckage is ongoing.
Italian AWACS (Airborne early warning and control) surveillance planes and a refueling aircraft jointly operated by NATO were also involved in the operation, according to Reuters.
Addressing the Polish parliament, Tusk said that 19 airspace violations were recorded, while three or four drones were shot down by Polish and allied planes — the last one at 6:45 a.m. local time.
However, the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that up to 23 Russian drones were detected and were fired upon primarily by the Dutch F-35s.
A damaged drone was discovered in a field near the village of Czosnowka in the Lublin region, around 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Ukrainian border, local law enforcement officials said.
A Russian drone also hit a house in Wyryki (around 20 kilometers, or 12 miles from the Ukrainian border) in the same region, damaging the roof and a car parked on the property, Polsat News reported, citing a local police official. No casualties were reported.
Another drone was found in a field in the central Lodz region near Mniszkow, a village roughly 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
As of the evening of Sept. 10, emergency services had recovered debris from 16 drones launched by Russia the previous night at the crash site. In addition to the drone remnants, a projectile fragment of unknown origin was also discovered at the scene, according to RMF FM.
Polish authorities urged residents in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin regions to stay indoors.
The 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.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he has been in constant contact with Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz since the start of the incursion and held a meeting of the National Security Bureau with Tusk.
"Our homeland's security is the highest priority and requires close cooperation," Nawrocki said on X.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart noted that the alliance is "consulting closely" with Warsaw. An undisclosed source told Reuters that the alliance does not treat the incursion as an attack.
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.
A Kyiv Independent reporter at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport said all flights were delayed, but airport officials were making no reference to Russian drones, only saying that the airspace was closed without providing further details.
Officials later said the Warsaw airport resumed operations but warned that all flights might be delayed during the day, according to the reporter.
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. U.S. President Donald Trump has not commented on the incident when asked by a reporter.
"Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West. The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented.
"A weak response now will provoke Russia even more — and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe."
Sybiha also said the case underscores why neighboring partner countries should intercept Russian projectiles already in Ukrainian airspace and help bolster Ukraine's own air defenses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that according to "updated data, around two dozen Russian drones may have entered Polish airspace during the night." He added that the number suggests the incursion was likely not an accident.
First drones crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border at around 0:50 a.m. Kyiv time, while at least two unmanned aircraft entered Polish airspace via Belarus, according to Zelensky.
"An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe. Whether there will be further steps depends entirely on the coordination and strength of the response," the president said.
Zelensky offered to provide Poland with all relevant data on the latest attack and assist with setting up an effective alert and protection system.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, called the incident "the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began." She added that there are indications the incursion "was intentional, not accidental."
The Russian Embassy in Warsaw has denied the accusations as "unfounded."
Earlier that night, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that Russian drones were moving westward and posed a potential threat to Zamosc, a Polish city located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The post was later deleted.
The incursion took place just a few days before the planned start of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2025 drills. Poland has raised an alarm over the upcoming exercises — set to begin on Sept. 12 — and announced plans to close its borders with Belarus for their duration.
Russian drones flying into Poland during the massive attack on Ukraine show that Putin’s sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 10, 2025
Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West. The longer he faces no…
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.
Ukrainian defenses intercepted 386 of the 415 strike and decoy drones and 27 of the 43 missiles launched by Russia overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
A drone and missile strike against western Zhytomyr Oblast killed one person and injured five, Governor Vitalii Bunechko reported. Several enterprises and houses were damaged.
In neighboring Khmelnytskyi Oblast, three people were wounded in the strikes. A sewing factory, a gas station, houses, and cars were damaged, according to Governor Serhii Tiurin.
It remains unclear whether Russia hit or targeted any military or other strategic targets in the attack on Ukraine, as Ukrainian authorities largely do not disclose such information for security reasons. This makes the full extent of casualties and damage impossible to verify.
The Sept. 10 incident came just days after Russia launched its largest overnight attack, which killed at least four people and injured more than 40 across Ukraine, 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 during the Sept. 7 attack. For the first time, the Russian strike damaged a major government building in Kyiv.
Yuliia Taradiuk contributed reporting.
