Polish and allied aircraft were deployed in a “preventive” operation across Poland’s airspace on Saturday, prompting the temporary closure of Lublin airport, amid concerns over potential drone strikes in neighbouring Ukrainian regions.
The two-hour alert followed an incident on Wednesday when multiple Russian drones reportedly crossed into Polish territory, leading to NATO fighter jets being scrambled to intercept them.
This has heightened long-standing concerns about the expansion of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Polish military’s operational command posted on X that ground-based air defence and reconnaissance systems were on high alert, stressing that “these actions are preventive in nature” to secure Poland’s airspace and protect its citizens.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also confirmed “preventive air operations” had begun due to the threat from Russian drones operating over nearby areas of Ukraine.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said that Lublin Airport was closed to air traffic “due to military aviation activities,” and the government security center warned of a threat of air attack for several border counties in the region.
Later Saturday, the military’s operational command wrote on X that the operation “has been completed” and that ground-based defense and reconnaissance systems had returned to normal.
Russia has said it didn’t target Poland on Wednesday, and Moscow’s ally, Belarus, said that the drones went astray because they were jammed. But European leaders have expressed certainty that the incursions were a deliberate provocation by Russia.
Polish aircraft have been scrambled repeatedly in recent months to patrol the country’s airspace in connection with Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, but those strikes have usually occurred overnight or in the early morning.
Separately, Romania said it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept a drone that briefly entered its airspace on Saturday afternoon.
“The drone did not fly over inhabited areas and did not represent an imminent danger to the security of the population,” the NATO member’s defense ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that teams of specialists would conduct searches for potential debris. Romanian authorities didn’t specify where they thought the drone originated from.
