The Kremlin says it received no official requests from Poland regarding drones that violated Polish airspace, redirecting the issue to Russia’s Defense Ministry as Warsaw accused Moscow of provocation.
Peskov: Not a Kremlin Issue
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that no contact requests had been made by Polish authorities. He stressed that accusations from the EU and NATO have become a daily routine, “most often without presenting any arguments.” According to him, questions about drones allegedly entering Polish airspace fall under the jurisdiction of the Defense Ministry, not the Kremlin.
Warsaw Labels Incident a Provocation
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the appearance of drones in Polish territory as a provocation, claiming they were Russian. Following the incident, Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Warsaw, Andrey Ordash, was summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry. He rejected the accusations as unfounded.
Conflicting Accounts of Drone Origins
Speaking to reporters after leaving the Foreign Ministry, Ordash insisted that the drones came from Ukraine, not Russia. “We know one thing — these drones came from the Ukrainian side,” he said. Earlier, however, Tusk asserted that the drones entered Poland from Belarus.
Belarus, for its part, claimed it had warned both Poland and Lithuania of “unidentified aerial vehicles” approaching their borders. Minsk said it had shot down some of the drones itself, noting they had lost course due to electronic warfare measures.
Extent of the Airspace Violation
According to Tusk, Poland recorded airspace violations from 23:30 local time on Tuesday until 6:30 on Wednesday, with a total of 19 incursions reported, though he said the number was not final. Three drones were shot down, the last at 6:45 a.m. Belarus confirmed it was tracking several drones throughout the night.
