The Dutch Ministry of Defense said that Polish and Dutch fighter jets shot down Russian drones over Poland overnight after the drones crossed into NATO airspace. The ministry said that NATO sent Polish and Dutch jets to get rid of “potential threats to allied territory.” After that, “several” drones were shot down.
The threat goes beyond Ukraine, according to Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. He stated, “Russia is taking more risks, which makes NATO territory more dangerous.” He praised the “adequate and professional response” of Dutch pilots. The ministry also said that German Patriot air-defense systems in Poland were put on high alert and that an Italian airborne warning aircraft and an alliance Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft helped with the mission.
Since September 1, the Netherlands has sent F-35s to Poland to help protect the NATO treaty region. The ministry claimed that Dutch jets had flown from Poland to stop Russian threats before, but this is the first time the Netherlands has employed armaments for this kind of mission. The statement continued, “With this deployment, NATO shows its ability and will to protect Allied territory.”
The Russian Embassy’s Resonse: The head of the Russian embassy in Poland said that Russian drones did not fly into Polish airspace. “We think the claims are false. Andrey Ordash told the state news outlet RIA Novosti that “there has been no evidence that these drones are of Russian origin.” He also told the outlet that Poland’s foreign minister had called him.
Earlier, Poland said that Poland’s air force, with help from NATO planes, shot down several drones that were flying in Polish airspace during a big Russian attack on Ukraine. Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister, informed parliament that this was “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two.” He also said that he had “no reason to believe we’re on the brink of war.” Poland’s Operational Command said there were repeated intrusions, and officials called the incident a “act of aggression.” Later, Tusk wrote that “the drones that posed a direct threat were shot down” and thanked “our NATO pilots” for helping out in Poland.
The chief of mission at Russia’s embassy in Poland rejected claims that Russian drones entered Polish airspace. “We believe that the claims are groundless. There has been no evidence that these drones are of Russian provenance,” Andrey Ordash was quoted by the state news agency RIA Novosti as saying. He also told the agency he had been summoned to Poland’s foreign ministry.
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