A report that Russian drones violated Polish airspace on Saturday was apparently a false alarm, possibly caused by the weather. Military officials quickly scrambled jets to respond to the reported incursion near the country’s border with Ukraine.
Authorities said the airport in the eastern Polish city of Lublin was closed down during the alert that lasted about two hours. Radar teams spotted what appeared to be drones coming into Poland from the vicinity of Ukraine, officials said.
“The actions did not confirm the indications of our systems, and thus no violation of Polish airspace was established,” senior military officials later said on X. “It should be emphasized that the system records could have resulted from prevailing weather conditions.”
Polish military officials said they sent jet fighters to investigate regardless, due to the seriousness of the situation on the ground. On Wednesday, multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland, prompting NATO officials to deploy jet fighters to shoot them down. It was the first time NATO airpower engaged enemy targets within the borders of a member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“All decisions made during the execution of tasks by our forces and resources were aimed at confirming the date obtained from radar systems, ensuring maximum safety for citizens [and] counteracting the potential consequences of a possible airspace violation by an unidentified airborne object,” Polish military commanders said on X.
The alert in Poland came as a Russian drone briefly violated the airspace of Poland’s southern ally, Romania, on the same day.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.