France Deploys Rafales to Poland After NATO Invokes Article 4 Over Russian Drone Incursion
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment of three Rafale fighter jets to Poland “to contribute to the protection of Polish airspace and the Eastern Flank of Europe alongside our NATO allies,” less than 48 hours after Warsaw triggered consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
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| France Deploys Rafales to Poland. File Photo French Presiden Macron |
“The security of the European continent is our absolute priority. We will not yield to Russia’s growing intimidations,” Macron declared.
Suite aux incursions de drones russes en Pologne, j’ai décidé de mobiliser trois chasseurs Rafale pour contribuer à la protection de l’espace aérien polonais et du Flanc Est de l’Europe avec nos alliés de l’OTAN.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 11, 2025
Je m’y étais engagé hier auprès du Premier ministre polonais.…
Poland reported 19 airspace violations between September 9 and 10, with several drones shot down and debris recovered across multiple regions, including one that damaged the roof of a home in Wyryki-Wola, Polish officials confirmed.
Prime Minister Tusk called the incident “a large-scale provocation” and said it marked the first time Russian drones had been downed over a NATO country.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that air defenses were activated and multinational assets -- Polish F-16s, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS, and NATO refueling aircraft -- took part in the response. NATO chief Rutte said the Alliance reacted “quickly and decisively,” stressing: “We are able to defend every centimeter of NATO territory, including airspace.”
The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed and could speak with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The U.S. ambassador to NATO wrote: “We will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Russia denied targeting Poland. Its Defense Ministry said strikes were carried out only on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and insisted “the maximum range of the UAVs which allegedly crossed the border with Poland does not exceed 700 km.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed NATO and EU accusations as “daily provocations” and said Moscow had received no requests from Warsaw for contact.
Belarus meanwhile claimed its own defenses tracked and shot down drones and that it had warned Poland and Lithuania of incoming UAVs from Ukraine.
🇫🇷🇵🇱 Following Russian drone incursions into Poland, France has decided to deploy three Rafale multi-role fighter jets to bolster the defense of Polish airspace and NATO's Eastern Flank alongside allied forces.
— Vanguard Intel Group 🛡 (@vanguardintel) September 11, 2025
President Macron discussed this deployment with the NATO SecGen and… pic.twitter.com/WD84KooeiQ
European leaders backed Poland: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Warsaw could “always count on Spain,” Romanian President Nicușor Dan accused Moscow of showing “no plans for peace,” and Moldova condemned the attack as evidence Ukraine needs stronger defenses.
This is a developing story.
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