Poland Deploys Aircraft in ‘Preventative’ Operation over Drone Threat

Warsaw, Poland (AP) – Polish and Allies planes were deployed in a “preventive” operation in Poland airspace on Saturday due to a threat of drone strikes in neighboring areas of Ukraine and the airport of the eastern Polish city of Lublin, the authorities announced.

The alert occurred after several Russian drones met in Poland on Wednesday, which prompted NATO to send fighter planes to shoot them down and highlight long -standing concerns about the expansion of the war of more than three years in Russia in Ukraine.

The Operational Command of the Polish army was published on X on Saturday afternoon that the air defense and ground recognition systems were on alert. He stressed that “these actions are of preventive in nature” and aimed to secure Poland’s airspace and to protect the citizens of the country. He cited a threat of drone strikes in the regions of Ukraine at the edge of Poland, but did not immediately give more details.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk also displayed that “preventive air operations” had started in Polish air space due to the threat posed by Russian drones operating on the neighboring areas of Ukraine.

The Polish Air Navigation Services agency said Lublin airport was closed to air traffic “due to military aviation activities”. This did not specify how long it would last, but the spokesperson for Piotr Jankowski airport told the PAP news agency that the airspace above the airport was closed until 6 p.m. (1600 GMT).

Russia said that it had not targeted Poland on Wednesday, and the ally of Moscow, the Bélarus, said that the drones were lost because they were stuck. But European leaders expressed the certainty that incursions were a deliberate provocation by Russia.