Poland and NATO shoot down Russian drones in major escalation as Russia's 'doomsday radio' begins broadcast
Air defences from Poland and NATO were used to shoot down drones from Russia which had violated Polish airspace.
Russia continues to launch drone strikes on Ukraine as it bombards the country, destroying buildings and targeting civilians as part of their invasion into the country.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had been given a report from his country's armed forces on 'the shutting down of drones that entered our airspace and could constitute a threat', adding that he was in 'constant contact' with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
He said: "Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.
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"I am in constant communication with the secretary general of NATO and our allies."
Search efforts to locate the wreckage of these drones is underway, and Poland's military called it 'an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens'.
One of the drones struck a residential building in the Eastern Polish village of Wyryki, though fortunately nobody was injured in the strike.
It's the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 that NATO military assets have engaged Russian equipment.
This is not the first time Russian equipment has violated Poland's airspace during their invasion of Ukraine, with a Russian drone crashing into a field in Poland last month while missiles have passed through Poland's on the way to their targets.
Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Jim Townsend told the BBC said the Russian incursion was unlikely to be a mistake, explaining: "One drone is a mistake, multiple drones is not a mistake."
"We’ve got to have more time for Poland to figure out what they are finding and see what their views are. But this is more than likely a test - this is a test that NATO has to answer."
Russian war material accidentally-on-purpose violating Polish airspace in such numbers and shutting down several of the country's airports is a serious escalation from Putin's regime.
Over in Russia they've switched on their 'doomsday radio station', known officially as UVB-76, which uses call signs, names, or sequences of numbers in codes.
In the first message heard on it since May and the codes 'NZHTI' and 'HOTEL' were broadcast over it along with the numbers '38, 965, 78, 58, 88, 37'.
Various other nations have offered their support to Poland following this incursion by Russia, with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson calling it 'unacceptable'.
He said: "The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine poses a threat to the security of all of Europe.
"Poland has every right to defend its airspace. We give our full support to Poland, as a NATO ally and EU member. Sweden and Poland stand united in our support for Ukraine."
Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia's president, said: "Russian aggression in Ukraine affects us directly and appropriate measures must be taken."
He added that Latvia offered 'full support and solidarity' to Poland, as Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the Russian actions 'deeply concerning and entirely unacceptable'.
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, World News, NATO
Joe Harker