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By Sean Rayment
Nato jets shot down Russian drones that “repeatedly violated” Poland’s airspace during an overnight bombardment of Ukraine.
Polish, Dutch and Italian fighter aircraft were scrambled to intercept at least 19 drones as citizens were urged to stay at home.
It marks the most serious clash between Russia and the alliance since the start of the war in Ukraine, dragging the conflict into uncharted territory.
Politicians and analysts believe it was a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin to test Nato’s response.
Footage showed damage to a home struck by a drone in western Poland, its roof missing. No casualties have been reported.
Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said: “Last night we experienced a violation of Polish airspace by a significant number of Russian drones,” denouncing the “large-scale provocation”.
As a Nato member, Poland is protected under Article 5, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. The alliance will meet today to discuss its response, a spokesman said.
Speaking to parliament, Mr Tusk requested that Article 4 of the Nato treaty be invoked. Article 4 allows member states to raise an issue with Nato’s main political decision-making body. Consultations are then held to determine whether the territorial integrity, political independence or security of a member country has been threatened.
“The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation. Therefore, allied consultations took the form of a formal request to activate Article 4 of the Nato treaty,” Mr Tusk said.
“This is not just a war for Ukrainians. This is a confrontation that Russia has declared against the entire free world,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer described the violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones as an “extremely reckless move” by Russia that underscored Vladimir Putin’s “disregard for peace”.
Joining widespread condemnation from European capitals, the Prime Minister said: “This morning’s barbaric attack on Ukraine and the egregious and unprecedented violation of Polish and Nato airspace by Russian drones is deeply concerning.
“This was an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of President Putin’s blatant disregard for peace, and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.”
Sir Keir made clear the UK’s support for Poland and thanked Nato forces who “rapidly responded to protect the Alliance”.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia’s attack as a “reckless and unprecedented” violation of Polish airspace.
“Just today, we have seen a reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland and Europe’s airspace by more than 10 Russian Shahed drones,” she told EU lawmakers.
“Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland,” she said, adding that the bloc was preparing a new sanctions package to pressure Russia to come to the negotiating table.
“With our partners – and through our leadership of the Coalition of the Willing – we will continue to ramp up the pressure on Putin until there is a just and lasting peace,” she added.
Article 5 serves as Nato’s mutual defence clause, deliberately vague in definition. If triggered, it means an attack on one member state is considered an attack on the whole alliance, obliging others to come to their aid. It has only been invoked once, after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, so the bar for its use remains high.
Nobody is suggesting that it could be triggered in the case of the Russian drones in Poland. Instead, Article 4 – which obliges member states to consult when a perceived danger arises – is the mechanism under discussion.
