Poland Closes Airspace After Russian Drone Reports as NATO Ally Secures €43.7B EU Defense Boost
Poland has closed Warsaw Chopin International Airport and placed its air defenses on the highest alert after reports that Russian drones had crossed into Polish airspace during overnight strikes on Ukraine.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said “all necessary procedures” had been activated and “ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest level of alert,” with both Polish and NATO aircraft scrambled.
 |
| Image Source: Devana on X |
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russian Shahed drones were threatening the city of Zamość, though that statement was later deleted, Reuters reported.
It remains unclear how many drones may have entered Polish territory; Ukrainian outlets suggested at least one was heading toward Rzeszów, where Western military aid to Ukraine is concentrated.
The heightened readiness comes just after Poland also shut border crossings with Belarus.
According to TVP World, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the move was taken ahead of the joint Russian-Belarusian Zapad exercises scheduled for September 12–16, warning that Moscow’s threats must be treated with “deadly seriousness.”
Sikorski told TVN that “before Russia invaded Georgia, it exercised. Before it invaded Ukraine, it exercised. Now it is exercising an invasion of NATO.”
Poland’s decision has been backed by President Karol Nawrocki’s office.
Adviser Marcin Przydacz told reporters that the closure is “a safeguard for Poland” and “a signal to the Belarusian state,” TVP World noted.
Minsk, in turn, summoned Poland’s chargé d’affaires and accused Warsaw of “privatizing” the EU border, claiming the move disrupted the normal flow of goods and people.
Amid these escalations, Poland is also set to receive €43.7 billion in cheap loans from the EU’s new SAFE (Strategic European Facility for Equipment) defense investment program -- the largest share of the €150 billion scheme.
Announced by Brussels this week, the loans will help member states acquire weapons, ammunition, and advanced defense technology.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz hailed the allocation as “a great success” that will fund air and missile defense, artillery systems, drones, and anti-drone technology.
IndianRepublic.in could not independently verify the violations.
This is a developing story.
ALSO READ:
NATO on High Alert: Poland Closes Airspace, Puts Defenses on Alert After Reports of Russian Drones
What We Know: Poland Closes Warsaw Airport, Scrambles Jets Amid Reports of Russian Drones
Poland Closes Airspace After Russian Drone Reports as NATO Ally Secures €43.7B EU Defense Boost