UK Defence Secretary John Healey has ordered Britain’s military to explore ways of reinforcing NATO air defences in Poland after Russian drones breached Polish airspace overnight. According to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Polish forces shot down several of the drones, which entered the country in the early hours of 10 September. Warsaw has since formally requested NATO consultations under Article 4 of the Alliance’s treaty.
Healey, speaking in London after talks with defence chiefs from Poland, Italy, France and Germany (the “E5”), accused Vladimir Putin of “testing” the West with “reckless” escalation. “Together we, the E5, totally condemn these attacks. Russia’s actions are reckless, they’re dangerous, they’re unprecedented,” he said, pledging that NATO states would “stand firm.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had personally spoken with Tusk to reaffirm British support for Poland and Ukraine, vowing to maintain and even intensify pressure on Moscow “until there is a just and lasting peace.”
This is not the first time Russian drones have crossed into NATO airspace since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine — Romania has also reported similar incidents — but this marks the first known case where a NATO member has directly engaged Russian assets. The attack coincided with one of Moscow’s largest drone offensives on western Ukraine, with strikes near the Polish border.
Poland’s military command said its radar detected over 10 objects, neutralising those considered a direct threat. “Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down. Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing,” it said, labelling the incident “an act of aggression” that endangered civilians. No casualties have been reported, although four airports including Warsaw Chopin were temporarily closed.
Tusk argued that the shoot-downs “change the political situation” and warned that Poland is now “the closest to armed conflict since World War Two.” Former U.S. deputy assistant defence secretary Jim Townsend told the BBC the use of multiple drones was likely “a test” rather than an accident — one that NATO “has to answer.”
Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty allows any member to request consultations with allies if its security, territorial integrity or political independence is threatened. It is primarily a diplomatic mechanism rather than a trigger for military action, but invoking it signals seriousness and can pave the way for deeper NATO involvement. Turkey has used Article 4 during conflicts along its border with Syria, and Poland itself invoked it in 2022 after missile strikes near its frontier.
