Sweden rushes extra aircraft and air defense to Poland after drone attack
Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (photo: Getty Images)
After the overnight attack by Russian drones on September 10, Sweden urgently sent additional aircraft and air defense systems to Poland, Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
According to him, after the overnight attacks by Russian drones, Poland is receiving clear signals of assistance from its allies.
"I have just received information from the Swedish defense minister about the urgent dispatch of further aid to Poland, including air defense systems and aircraft. We are in constant contact with our allies," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He added that the Netherlands is supplying Poland with multi-layered defense systems – Patriot, Nasams systems, counter-drone measures, as well as 300 soldiers.
"Czechia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the Baltic states – all allies are ready to provide support and are making concrete statements. The application of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty is a rare and serious situation," the Polish minister noted.
Drone attack on Poland
During the attack on Ukraine on the night of September 10, several Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Polish air defense began to shoot down aerial targets.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that a total of 19 Russian drones were recorded in the country's airspace that night. Four drones were shot down.
Later it became known that the wreckage of the downed drones was found in 11 settlements in Poland. One of them crashed on the territory of a unit of the Territorial Defense Forces.
According to the latest information, wreckage of 16 Russian drones that entered Polish territory during the attack has already been found. One drone fell on the territory of a military base but caused no damage.
In connection with the Russian attack, NATO invoked Article 4. This will allow member states to discuss the situation with allies in the North Atlantic Council.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte nevertheless called the Alliance's response to the incident in Poland "very successful." He stressed that the past night demonstrated NATO's readiness to defend every inch of its territory, including its airspace.
In response to the statements by NATO countries, the Russian Ministry of Defense falsely claimed that the range of the drones that attacked Poland allegedly "does not exceed 700 kilometers" and stated that no targets in Poland had been planned for strikes.
However, according to an analyst, the Russians equipped the Gerbera drones with additional fuel tanks, which increased their flight range. This made it possible for Russian drones to reach Poland.
What lies behind the Kremlin's actions, why this happened now, and how NATO may respond — read in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
