At least several drones violated Polish airspace during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Drone debris was found in various places in Poland. In addition, an unidentified flying object caused damage to a residential house in Wyryki (Włodawa county). Such a large-scale violation of Polish airspace was unprecedented. A significant number of drones entered from Belarus.

At 10:06 p.m. on Tuesday, the Polish military received information about a massive Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine. In response, necessary procedures were launched, including scrambling fighter jets. Air operations continued until around 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday. During that time, 19 cases of Polish airspace violations were recorded. At least three drones were shot down. At 8:00 a.m., an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers began. Later, in the Sejm, the prime minister presented the latest information and the government’s position. Donald Tusk emphasized that Poland remained in constant contact with NATO allies. As part of the alliance, the prime minister requested the activation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty obliges NATO allies to consult together whenever any of them believes that its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. Poland has now requested such consultations. In practice, this means an exchange of information between allies, which may lead to various conclusions. The last such consultations took place in 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine. As a result, additional measures were declared to strengthen the alliance’s defense capabilities.

According to prosecutors’ reports (1, 2, 3, 4), drone debris has been found in at least 15 locations:

• Czosnówka (Lubelskie province)
• Cześniki (Lubelskie)
• Krzywowierzba-Kolonia (Lubelskie)
• Wohyń (Lubelskie)
• Wielki Łan (Lubelskie)
• Wyhalew (Lubelskie)
• Zabłocie Kolonia (Lubelskie)
  
• Bychawka Trzecia (Lubelskie)
• Mniszków (Łódzkie)
• Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą (Mazowieckie)
• Korytnica (Mazowieckie)
• Rakowie (Świętokrzyskie)
• Czyżów (Świętokrzyskie)
• Sobótka (Świętokrzyskie)
• Oleśno (Warmińsko-Mazurskie)

Online photos show a drone found in Mniszków. According to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Piotrków Trybunalski:

“Prosecutors from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Piotrków Trybunalski and the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Opoczno went to the site. The area where the object was found was secured by police. Coordinated operations of the services are currently underway at the site. No incidents endangering life or health were revealed as a result of the drone crash.”

All credible information indicates that the drones that violated Polish airspace were Russian, not Ukrainian. From the first official statements, the Polish military made clear that the violations occurred after a Russian attack on Ukraine.

The drones were identified as Russian by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. They were classified as Shahed/Geran and Gerbera models – drones used by the Russian army, not by Ukraine (1, 2). Radar data (1, 2) also confirmed that the drones were launched from Russia toward Poland.

Some false claims suggested that Ukraine sought “revenge” for President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of an amendment to the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens due to the war. The president submitted his own draft law, which included changes such as extending the process of granting Polish citizenship, increasing penalties for illegal border crossings, and restricting the 800+ child benefit to Ukrainians working in Poland.

However, there is no evidence whatsoever that Ukrainians sought revenge for this decision. After the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, the president of Ukraine declared readiness to provide Poland with all available information on the Russian attack. He also pledged to help create an effective warning and defense system against Russian threats.

Russian media are downplaying the incident and deflecting responsibility from Russia (1, 2, 3). The RIA Novosti news agency described Polish military actions as routine and compared the airspace violations to the explosion of a Ukrainian missile in Przewodów in 2022.

The TASS agency promoted the false narrative (1, 2) that Polish authorities did not identify the drone debris as Russian.

The Polish Army is present near the eastern border, but this is unrelated to the recent events. Since early September, the “Iron Defender 2025” exercises have been taking place in the region.

In total, 30,000 soldiers from Poland and other NATO countries are participating. Meanwhile, the General Command had informed the public that military convoys might appear on roads as part of preparations for the drills, and appealed not to photograph or share images of military equipment.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that the maneuvers are also meant as a response to similar exercises organized by Belarus and Russia under “Zapad 2025”. For this reason, it was decided to close the Polish-Belarusian border.

According to a Sky News article, the first drones violated Polish airspace at 1:50 a.m., while a Dutch refueling aircraft supporting NATO fighters took off toward Poland at 11:45 p.m. Some speculated that NATO must have known in advance where the drones would fly – something that would not have been possible without prior warning.

However, the information published by Sky News is incorrect. The first drones violated Polish airspace around 11:30 p.m. NATO forces began operations even earlier, preemptively protecting the airspace in response to reports of the Russian drone attack on Ukraine.

A map from the @Ukrainian_Intelligence channel on Telegram shows several drones flying from Ukraine toward Poland. This image has been used to suggest that the drones that violated Polish airspace were launched by Ukraine.

In fact, the map presents only a partial snapshot of events on the night of September 9–10. Its description reads: “Situation regarding unmanned aerial vehicle attacks in Ukrainian airspace as of 1:16 a.m.” A later map shows the full drone routes, clearly indicating various drones flying from Russia into Poland and Belarus.

Despite its name, the @Ukrainian_Intelligence channel does not represent any Ukrainian state institution, as its authors themselves admit.

The drones found in Poland were identified as Russian Gerbera models, with a nominal range of 600 km. The straight-line distance from the eastern edge of Poland’s Lubelskie province to Russia’s nearest Bryansk region is already close to 600 km.

However, the Gerbera drones used to violate Polish airspace had been modified: they carried no warheads or reconnaissance equipment, which significantly reduced their weight. They were also fitted with additional fuel tanks. All of this greatly extended their operational range.