Poland Declares Russian Drone Strike “Act of Aggression Against NATO”

Polish presidential spokesman Rafał Leszkiewicz said on Wednesday that September 10 will go down in history as the date of Russia’s act of aggression against a NATO country.

Speaking to RMF FM, he stressed that this was not merely a political claim but a historical judgment:

“This date will be recorded in textbooks as an act of aggression by the Russian Federation against Poland.”

According to Leszkiewicz, the incursion marked a turning point for the Alliance: for the first time in NATO’s history, a hostile drone was destroyed over its territory, with Dutch pilots among those responding.

Russian Attack on September 10

Almost two dozen Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace late Tuesday night. Air defense forces intercepted many of them, but several penetrated Polish skies, and at least one struck a residential building in the Lublin region, destroying the home of a local family. Authorities continued searching for debris from the incursion even into the following day.

Leszkiewicz admitted that the fact drones could enter Polish territory so freely was worrying. “The systems worked, but the very fact of this penetration remains troubling,” he said.

NATO’s Immediate Reaction

Poland’s military quickly labeled the drone violation as an act of aggression, and the government invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which obliges allies to consult when one member is threatened.

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed hope that NATO’s response would deter further escalation by Moscow.

“Nineteen violations of our airspace, a dozen or so drones identified, several shot down. The operation lasted seven hours, meaning it lasted all night, so it can’t be called a coincidence. And this is a test not only for Poland. This is a test for the entire NATO, not just military but also political,” Sikorski said.

He noted that “this time Poland is demanding not only the strengthening of these capabilities – including anti-drone capabilities – but also doing what the President of the United States said, i.e. imposing sanctions on Russia and increasing support for Ukraine.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk underlined the significance of allied involvement, noting that the downing of drones by Dutch pilots sent a clear message to Russia about NATO’s readiness to defend its eastern flank.

Implications for the Alliance

Warsaw’s framing of the attack as aggression against a NATO country has elevated the importance of the Alliance’s response to airspace violations.

Up until now, the Alliance dismissed most cross-border incidents as accidents or spillovers from the war in Ukraine. This time, Poland insisted on calling it deliberate aggression.

The episode illustrates both the strength and the fragility of NATO’s deterrence: the defenses worked, but Russia proved it could still test the limits. How the Alliance responds next will shape the credibility of its security guarantees on the eastern frontier.

And this type of an air attack can occur any time in the future, as Russia attacks Ukraine on a daily basis.