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NATO countries along the alliance’s eastern flank need a “drone wall,” European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Wednesday. Poland had recently intercepted Russian drones for the first time in over three years of full-scale war in Ukraine.
Kubilius stressed the urgent need to develop such a system across the EU’s entire eastern border. Polish officials confirmed that they responded to an “unprecedented violation of Polish airspace” by Russian drones, posing a “real threat” to their citizens’ safety. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a large number of Russian drones entered Poland, and those posing a direct threat were intercepted.
Ukraine’s air force reported at least eight drones crossing into Poland. Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister, tweeted that Russia is testing frontier states, the EU, and NATO with these actions.
When approached by Newsweek, Tusk stated they were in “constant communication” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte regarding Russian activities near NATO territory.
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Russia’s waves of airstrikes, particularly on sites close to NATO territory, have frequently prompted NATO to scramble fighter jets to protect Romanian and Polish airspace. While Article 5 obligates members to respond to attacks on other alliance nations, drones and missiles entering NATO airspace haven’t been treated as such so far.
Kubilius called for the creation of a “drone wall” after a drone crossed from Belarus into Lithuania’s airspace in July. The idea involves a layered air defense shield using unmanned vehicles. Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė previously mentioned establishing a “drone border,” stretching from Norway to Poland, employing counter-drone technology.
Dutch F-35 fighter jets were also involved in intercepting the drones, according to Polish officials. Dutch and Norwegian aircraft are currently carrying out NATO’s air policing mission in Poland.
Efforts are underway to locate potential crash sites of these objects. Poland advised residents to stay at home and warned that the “most threatened areas” include Podlaskie (west of Belarus), Lublin (west of Ukraine), and Mazowieckie, where Warsaw is located. The military instructed the public not to approach or touch downed drone fragments, which could remain dangerous.
Ukraine’s air force reported a massive wave of strikes overnight, including 415 drones, mostly Iranian-designed Shaheds, along with 42 cruise missiles and one ballistic missile.
