Polish Airports Briefly Closed Following Suspected Russian Airspace Violation
Warsaw, Poland – Polish authorities temporarily closed airspace and urged citizens to shelter in place early Wednesday morning following the detection of unidentified aerial objects entering the country’s airspace. The disruption impacted air travel, with Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland’s largest, displaying a message indicating operational issues.
Poland’s Defense Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-kamysz, stated that Polish aircraft “used their weapons against hostile objects” and confirmed the government was in “constant contact” with NATO. He was returning from a meeting of Defense Ministers of the E5 group in Great Britain at the time.
The incident involved more than 10 Russian drones of the Shahid type, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who declared the EU will defend “every square centimeter” of its territory. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, she described the airspace violation as “foolish and unprecedented.”
High Representative of the european Union for Foreign Affairs and Security, Kaja Kallas, indicated the violation appeared intentional, stating, “In Poland we witnessed the most serious violation of European airspace by Russia since the war began, and the indications suggest that it was intentionally, not accidental.”
The alleged incursion occured after newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to invade additional countries following the war in Ukraine. “We do not trust the good intentions of Vladimir Putin,” Nawrocki said Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki. “While we expect, of course, a lasting peace, a permanent peace, which is necessary for our regions, we believe that Vladimir Putin is willing to also invade other countries.”
Poland has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, having accepted over one million Ukrainian refugees and serving as a crucial transit hub for Western aid.
