Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Wednesday that Poland is facing its greatest risk of direct conflict since World War II, following the interception of Russian drones that entered Polish airspace.
The NATO member state confirmed that its air defense systems shot down multiple drones launched from Russia, underscoring fears that Moscow’s war against Ukraine is increasingly spilling over into allied territory.
In response, Warsaw has formally requested consultations under Article 4 of the NATO treaty, a mechanism allowing any member to convene discussions when it feels its security, territorial integrity, or political independence is under threat. Article 4 has been invoked only a handful of times in NATO’s history, most notably by Turkey in 2012 and 2015 in relation to the Syrian conflict, and by several Eastern European states following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Poland has not been this close to a potential open conflict since 1945,” Tusk stated, highlighting the severity of the threat. He stressed that Poland’s borders, which double as NATO’s eastern flank, are increasingly exposed to Russian aggression, whether through drone incursions, disinformation campaigns, or cyberattacks.
The incident comes amid a broader escalation of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities near the Polish border. Several times since the war began, stray Russian weapons have entered Polish territory, including the deadly 2022 missile strike in the village of Przewodów, which killed two civilians.
By requesting Article 4 consultations, Poland seeks stronger guarantees of collective defense, enhanced air-defense coordination, and a unified Western response to Russia’s provocations. The move also signals Warsaw’s determination to ensure that NATO’s eastern front remains secure as the war in Ukraine drags on into its third year.
Image: A drone or similar object struck a residential building in Wyryki in eastern Poland but nobody was injured, local officials said/DW
