 "(File) A Polish Air Force fighter jet F16 flies after a refuelling by an Airbus A330 MRTT \"Phenix\" in the airspace of Poland as part of Nato's enhanced Air Policing (eAP) to secure the skies over Baltic allies, March 29, 2022. Reuters")
Nato fighter jets were reported to have been scrambled early Wednesday as Russia carried out one of its heaviest air assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks. Warsaw’s Operational Command stated on social media that Polish and allied aircraft were operating in national airspace in response to what it described as an “intensive air attack” from Russia.
According to BBC reports, Ukraine’s Air Force said through its Telegram channel that Moscow had deployed more than 500 attack and decoy drones, in addition to 24 missiles, during the overnight strikes. Several western regions of Ukraine, including Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Lutsk were reported to have experienced explosions raising concerns about the proximity of the strikes to Poland’s border.
Reports of drones crossing into Polish airspace
GB News reported that Polish authorities were alerted by Ukraine’s Air Force that Iranian-made Shahed drones, commonly referred to as “suicide drones,” had crossed into Polish territory. In response, Poland temporarily closed airspace around major airports, including Warsaw Chopin, Warsaw-Modlin, Rzeszow and Lublin citing “unplanned military activity”.
The Polish operational command emphasised that both air and ground defence systems had been placed on the highest state of readiness. Officials suggested that these measures were intended to reassure and protect citizens in Poland’s eastern regions near Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force also warned that Russian drones appeared to be heading toward the Polish city of Zamosc, though Polish authorities had not officially confirmed this trajectory.
Political reactions and rising tensions
The reported drone incursion triggered strong political reactions. Polish MEP Dominik Tarczynski urged caution, noting that official confirmation was still pending and warning against misinformation circulating online. However, some US lawmakers interpreted the events more forcefully.
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson claimed that Russia was directly attacking Nato territory, calling the incident an “act of war.” He urged Washington to impose mandatory sanctions on Moscow and to provide Ukraine with more advanced weaponry capable of striking inside Russia. Wilson suggested that President Vladimir Putin was deliberately testing Nato’s resolve by extending aggression beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin offered a more measured response, arguing that repeated drone incursions into Nato airspace signalled Moscow’s attempts to test the alliance’s willingness to defend member states. He stressed that such violations could not be ignored in light of the ongoing devastation in Ukraine, GB News reported.
Impact Shorts
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The escalation came just as Poland prepared to close its border with Belarus. Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the move would coincide with large-scale Zapad military exercises being conducted jointly by Belarus and Russia, which Polish officials described as “very aggressive”.
With tensions rising on Nato’s eastern flank, Warsaw indicated that forces would remain on heightened alert as the situation continued to unfold.