NATO allies urge caution in Poland’s approach to down unidentified aircraft

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the issue of shooting down potential Russian drones or missiles over Polish territory during a press conference on 28 August, reports Rzeczpospolita.

Tusk explained that it’s often difficult to determine immediately whether an unidentified flying object is civilian, so Poland’s allies advise caution.

“Some second make it often impossible to verify whether it’s not a civilian object. Whether it’s not a lost plane,” Tusk said, according to Rzeczpospolita.

After Russia’s massive attack on Ukraine on the morning of 26 August, Poland reported a violation of its airspace by an “air object” that was allegedly a kamikaze drone.

Maciej Klisz, the commander of the Polish Armed Forces’ operational command, said that the object, which came from Ukraine, was not shot down due to “atmospheric conditions.” Polish media, citing army interlocutors, reported that they were inclined to believe that the Shahed had been in the country’s airspace for at least 33 minutes.

During the press conference, the prime minister was responding to questions about whether Polish authorities are prepared to change legislation to facilitate the downing of objects entering Polish airspace during Russia’s massive air strikes, some of which target western Ukraine.

Currently, the operational commander, General Maciej Klisz, must authorize the shooting down of such objects during peacetime. Tusk indicated openness to potentially changing these rules, saying, “We can change the rules as quickly as possible,” but later clarified that “the problem with downed aircraft often has a different nature.”

Tusk emphasized that Poland’s allies recommend restraint when it comes to firing on unidentified aerial objects “if there is no threat if it is not aggression.”

“I very much appreciate our military’s reasonable, balanced position. They are not interested in opening fire whenever something moves in the sky. This makes us feel safer,” he said.

The discussion comes in the wake of a recent incident where Poland reported a possible airspace violation by what was believed to be a kamikaze drone on 26 August, following a massive Russian attack on Ukraine.

Polish Defense Minister said that the decision to allow shooting down Russian missiles and combat drones in Ukrainian airspace using Polish air defense systems “is met with skepticism among NATO countries.”

Tusk also revealed that there is still no “100% certainty” that an unknown object violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack on 26 August.

“Almost 400 soldiers are looking 24 hours a day for any signs of a drone or two drones, as some say, but so far, there is no 100% certainty that they invaded Polish airspace,” Tusk said.

The Polish government continues investigating the incident, with Tusk adding, “We don’t know whose they were. If they were at all.”

Read also:

• Zelenskyy urges Poland to provide MiG jets and support missile interception over western Ukraine
• Poland claims “air object” violated its borders during morning Russian attack
• Poland raises air force due to massive Russian strike on Ukraine