Poland was on high alert early Wednesday after Ukraine’s air force warned that Russian drones had entered the country’s airspace.
‘Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,’ Poland’s operational command said in a post on X.
It added that its measures were preventative and aimed at protecting citizens in regions bordering Ukraine.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app that drones were heading west and threatening the city of Zamosc in Poland.
It was not immediately clear how many drones were in NATO member Poland’s airspace.
Ukrainian media also reported that at least one drone was heading towards the western Polish city of Rzeszow, but Polish officials have not confirmed whether drones had entered their airspace.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Operational Command has said that it continues to monitor the situation and that forces remain prepared to respond.
Poland closed its Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, with air traffic restrictions scheduled to remain unti 7am on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian reports.
Multiple Russian drones have entered Polish airspace, Ukraine warned
Graphi reportedly shows Russian drones entering Polish airspace
Poland was on high alert early Wednesday as a result of Ukraine’s warning
The warning comes hours after Poland said it was closing its border with Belarus on Thursday as a result of Russia-led military exercises taking place in Belarus.
Russia and Belarus’ large-scale military exercises, known as the ‘Zapad’ drills, have raised security concerns in neighbouring NATO member states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. ‘Zapad-2025’ (West-2025) will be held in western Russia and Belarus.
It also comes hours after a Russian airstrike killed 24 elderly people who were collecting pensions in a village in eastern Ukraine.
Russian troops have pressed a grinding offensive across much of the eastern Donetsk region as diplomatic efforts to achieve peace stalled.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a guided bomb had struck the village of Yarova, about 15 miles from the city of Sloviansk, a Ukrainian stronghold, and several kilometres behind the front line.
Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed,’ he wrote on X alongside footage showing bodies strewn across the ground.
Twenty-four people were killed and another 19 people were wounded, the State Emergency Service said. All of the dead were elderly, said regional governor Vadym Filashkin.
‘The world must not remain silent,’ Zelenskiy said. ‘The world must not remain idle. A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20.’
Russia did not immediately comment on the attack. Moscow has denied targeting civilians, but tens of thousands have died since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
