Poland 'neutralizes' drone flying over government buildings, 2 detained
Editor's note: This item has been updated to include the latest available information.
Poland's State Protection Service neutralized a drone flying over government buildings in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sept. 15, adding that two suspects were detained.
The drone had been operating near several sensitive sites in the Polish capital, including the Belweder Palace, an official presidential residence and guest house for foreign dignitaries.
After Poland's State Protection Service (SOP), which safeguards government officials, reported the incident, a patrol was dispatched and detained two people operating the drone, RMF24 reported.
According to the outlet, the suspects were a 17-year-old Belarusian woman and a 21-year-old Ukrainian man, both legally residing in the country. The woman had reportedly been in Poland for several days, while the man had lived there for eight years.
Previously, Tusk identified both detainees as Belarusian citizens.
SOP Colonel Boguslaw Piorkowski stressed that no shots were fired during the incident — the drone returned in emergency mode to its operators, according to RMF24.
Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for the Polish security service, said the country's officers are still investigating the matter.
"These are young people. Perhaps it was due to their carelessness or ignorance, " Dobrzynski said.
The news comes just days after 21 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.
