Poland 'neutralizes' drone flying over government buildings, two Belarusian citizens detained, Tusk says
Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated.
Poland's State Protection Service neutralized a drone flying over government buildings in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on social media on Sept. 15.
Two Belarusian citizens have been detained amid an investigation into the incident, Tusk added.
The Polish prime minister said that the drone had been operating near several government buildings in the Polish capital, including the Belweder palace, which serves as one of the official presidential residences as well as a guest house for international dignitaries.
The circumstances related the to incident were not immediately clear, and no information was released on the identity of those detained.
The news comes just days after nineteen Russian drones violated Polish airspace, forcing the military to down three of the drones for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
German media outlets Spiegel and Welt reported on Sept. 11 that the Russian drones shot down were reportedly headed for Rzeszow Airport, a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine.
In response to the incursion, NATO launched its Eastern Sentry mission aimed at curtailing Russia's ability to interfere in alliance members' airspace. As part of the mission, Czechia will provide Mi-171S helicopters, the U.K. will provide Typhoon fighter jets, Denmark will contribute two F-16s and an anti-air warfare frigate, France will contribute three Rafales, and Germany will contribute four Eurofighters.
The incident also comes amid the ongoing Russia-Belarus Zapad-2025 military exercise.
The drills, which began on Sept. 12 and run until Sept. 16 in Belarus and western Russia, have raised alarm among NATO's eastern members, particularly Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
Zapad drills, held every four years, are officially described as defensive but have long fueled unease in Europe. The 2025 edition has been downsized and staged further from NATO borders. Warsaw closed all border crossings with Belarus as the exercises began.
Western officials warn that Zapad exercises, despite Minsk's assurances, remain a tool of military pressure against NATO's eastern flank.
