By Isabella McHugh
Correspondent
Russian Drones were shot down by Polish and NATO forces on Wednesday, Sept. 10, according to the BBC News.
This occurred early in the morning and was quickly addressed by nearby allied countries, sending their own defenses to Poland.
According to CNN, “A total of 16 drones were found throughout the country, Poland’s Ministry of Interior said later on Wednesday. The locations where the debris was found span an area of hundreds of square miles.”
With tensions already high due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, the drone sightings only feed the flames of nationwide conflict.
Russia faces inquisition as to why the drones were in Polish airspace to begin with. This raises concern for an escalation in the already volatile Russian-Ukrainian war.
The situation was addressed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who “announced that Poland has invoked Article 4 of NATO,” CNN reported.
According to the New York Times, it was last invoked in 2022 when “Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
For context, Article 4 is prompted when a member of NATO requests an official discussion on a matter, in this case, security.
United States President Donald Trump made a statement on the matter, as quoted from ABC News. “What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!" He spoke with the Polish President about the drones’ violation of airspace.
Russia’s envoy passively responded by saying the accusations made to invoke Article four were “groundless” as part of a statement from Newsweek.
Newsweek also reported that Russia’s “defense ministry said in a statement there had been no planned strikes on Polish territory.”
The Russian defense ministry also stated, as written in the New York Times, that they had “not planned” to aim anywhere within Poland and they were not within the scope of reaching Poland with their drones, which, according to the New York Times article, is “not true.”
Essentially, Russia has denied these accusations. Polish leaders and other European officials are skeptical, however, and NATO discussions are underway.
“This Russian provocation...is nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities,” Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki says in a statement from the BBC. His views are echoed by the fears of other European leaders who are also placed in a stressful position.
The implications of this event weigh heavily on the war’s uncertainty and cause NATO ally countries to feel even more wary of Russia’s presence on the world stage.
Since Article 4 was invoked, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council with allies will be held to discuss potential future actions.
An action that could be taken is the invocation of Article 5, which is the collective defense of NATO. In this instance, all allied countries must band together to provide security for the attacked country, which may include the use of weapons and armed forces.
As of now, Poland is bolstering its defense with support from its allied countries.
Additional information is expected as the situation develops.
