Poland says ‘huge number’ of Russian drones violated its airspace 

Poland reported a major violation of its airspace by Russian drones, some of which were shot down. Flights were suspended in Warsaw, and crash site searches are ongoing. Simultaneously, Russian attacks caused civilian casualties and damage across multiple Ukrainian regions

Warsaw: Poland said early Wednesday that its airspace was violated by Russian drones, and that the country and its NATO allies shot down some that posed a direct threat.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media that “Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.” Poland’s armed forces were on a heightened state of alert overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday because of what they described as “further massive airstrikes against targets located in Ukraine.”

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Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that “more than ten objects” crossed into Polish airspace, and those that constituted a risk to Poland’s security were neutralised.

Warsaw’s Chopin Airport suspended flights for several hours, citing the closure of airspace due to military operations.

The Polish armed forces said Wednesday morning that a search for possible crash sites is ongoing and urged people not to approach, touch or move any objects they see, warning that they may pose a threat and could contain hazardous material.

Poland has complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine before.

In August, Poland’s defence minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone, and called it a provocation by Russia. In March, Poland scrambled jets after a Russian missile briefly passed through Polish airspace on its way to a target in western Ukraine, and in 2022, a missile that was likely fired by Ukraine to intercept a Russian attack landed in Poland, killing two people.

Russian drones injured three people in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskyi region, its head Serhii Tiurin wrote on Telegram early Wednesday morning. He said a sewing factory was destroyed, a gas station and vehicles were damaged, and windows in several houses were blown out.

One person was killed and one injured in the Zhytomyr region overnight, regional administration head Vitalii Bunechko wrote on Telegram, while homes and businesses suffered damage.

In the Vinnytsia region, Russian drones damaged “civilian and industrial infrastructure,” according to regional head Natalia Zabolotna. Nearly 30 residential buildings were damaged, and one person was injured.

In the Cherkasy region, several houses and a power grid were damaged in a Russian attack. In Zolotonosha district, a shock wave destroyed a barn killing two cows, regional head Ihor Taburets wrote on Telegram.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in its morning report on Wednesday that it had destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions overnight, including over the illegally annexed Crimea and areas of the Black Sea.

Joint military drills involving Russian and Belarusian troops are due to take place in Belarus starting Friday and will last until September 16.

Troops from both countries will simulate repelling an attack, including airstrikes and sabotage, according to official reports of the games, dubbed “Zapad 2025,” or “West 2025.” The aim is to showcase the close links between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russian military might, amid its 3½-year-old war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The war games have drawn concerns in Kyiv and its Western allies of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which border Belarus. When Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops rolling into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many of them crossed from Belarus.