Poland to ease rules for shooting down drones, missiles entering from Russia

Poland will change procedures for military aircraft and helicopters that engage objects entering from the direction of Russia, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said on Sept. 28.

Under the current peacetime procedure, Polish pilots must fly close enough to visually confirm a target in Polish airspace before firing at it.

The new procedures will replace this visual identification with so-called positive identification, meaning the radar reading alone will be enough for the pilot or the operational commander to authorize shooting down the object, Polish broadcaster RMF24 reported.

This procedure would allow Polish forces to shoot down missiles or drones entering Polish airspace from the direction of Russia faster than previously.

"Until now, we have not used such options, because they are usually reserved for a state of war or martial law," Tomczyk said. "However, given the threat, and given that Poland today faces the possibility of drones entering our territory every day, we must introduce such changes, both for the pilots and for the security of the state."

Amid rising tensions between Russia and Poland, Russia has repeatedly violated Polish airspace.

On Sept. 23, a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter briefly violated Polish airspace near the country's northern border, Poland's Operational Command of the Armed Forces (DORSZ) said.

The helicopter crossed into Polish airspace north of Braniewo at around 11:08 a.m. local time after flying from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the command said.

The helicopter entered Polish airspace to a maximum depth of around 300 meters and remained there for 42 seconds, according to the statement.

The aircraft was tracked by Polish military radar systems, while fighter jets were scrambled and ground forces were placed on standby. Polish air defense crews remain on round-the-clock watch and at "constant readiness" to protect the country's airspace, according to the statement.

On the morning of Sept. 16, Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily halted operations of the Lublin Airport and Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport as Russia launched drones against Ukraine, Polish authorities announced.

Around 7:00 a.m. local time, military aircraft took off, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems were readied in response to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, DORSZ announced on social media platform X.

This was a preventive measure to protect Polish airspace, particularly in the regions bordering Ukraine, DORSZ said. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., DORSZ announced the operation had ended.