The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency session after Poland accused Russia of an “unprecedented” border violation.
The meeting called by Poland on Friday night brings a tense standoff over airspace violations by dozens of drones to a new diplomatic head, as Russia and its adversaries present competing accounts of the incident.
In a letter to the council, the U.N.'s most powerful arm, Poland detailed that “19 cases of incursion by Russian drone-type objects into Polish airspace” were recorded on the night between Sept. 9 and Sept. 10.
Warsaw has described the incident as the first time, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, that its territorial integrity has been violated on such a massive scale, an act that it says has pushed the region closer to open conflict than at any time since World War II.
The incursion occurred amid a large-scale Russian drone attack on Ukraine and prompted Poland to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which allows for consultations among allies when a member's security is threatened. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has since said on Polish radio that the drone activity was a deliberate act of aggression.
The incident has drawn swift and unified condemnation from Poland’s regional and international allies. The foreign ministers of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, a political bloc known as the Lublin Triangle, jointly described the drone intrusion as a "deliberate, coordinated strike" and an "unprecedented provocation" that poses a direct threat to regional security.
They called for enhanced cooperation among their respective air defense structures. In a separate meeting in Kyiv, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski met with U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who agreed that Poland’s response was "appropriate and legitimate" and that the "alliance's mechanisms had proven effective."
The Polish foreign minister's advisory council for resilience to international disinformation also expressed "deep concern" over a subsequent disinformation campaign from Russia and its allies.
It asserted that the incident was part of a broader effort to undermine Western unity and trust in democratic institutions, and urged the Polish public to be vigilant, verify information from official sources, and avoid spreading unverified narratives on social media.
Russia’s defense ministry has denied that its strikes targeted Polish territory, asserting that its operations were aimed at military infrastructure in western Ukraine. Moscow claims Poland has not provided evidence to support its allegations, while Belarusian officials suggest the drones may have strayed from their intended course due to "electronic warfare assets."
In a separate move to bolster its defenses, Poland’s Air Navigation Services Agency announced a three-month restriction on civilian unmanned aircraft flights and other small, non-commercial aircraft up to an altitude of three kilometers along its eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus.
The measure coincides with the start of a pre-planned joint military exercise, “Zapad,” between Belarus and Russia, a development that has contributed to regional tensions.
The U.N. meeting provides a forum for Poland to present its case, and for Russia, a council member with veto power, to address the allegations. The U.N. secretary-general's spokesperson noted the violation "highlights the regional impact and real risk of expansion of this devastating conflict."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
