Belarus says it ‘warned’ Poland of drone activity during Russian strike, blames jamming for stray aircraft

According to Muraveiko, during the night of Russia’s drone strikes on Ukraine, Belarusian air defense reportedly “tracked drones that went off course due to electronic warfare systems.” He added that some of the drones were allegedly shot down over Belarusian territory.

Muraveiko said that between 11 p.m. on Sept. 9 and 4 a.m. on Sept. 10, Belarusian rapid response units were “exchanging information” with Poland and Lithuania about the airspace situation, including alerts about “unidentified aerial vehicles” approaching their borders. He said this information helped Poland “scramble its forces in time.”

At the same time, he claimed that Poland also informed Belarusian crews about drones approaching from Ukraine during Russia’s mass attack.

This type of information exchange, Muraveiko said, is “an important element in ensuring regional security” and helps “build trust.”

Belarus’s Defense Ministry also promised the country would continue to “honor its obligations” to share data with Poland and the Baltic states.

Key developments: Russian drone attack on Poland

During Russia’s mass strike on Ukraine, several drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace. Warsaw called the incident “an unprecedented act of aggression.”

Polish troops fired on some of the drones and confirmed several had been shot down. Search operations are underway to locate debris, with territorial defense forces involved.

Poland temporarily closed four airports due to the threat to civilian aviation — including Warsaw Chopin, Warsaw Modlin, Rzeszów-Jasionka, and Lublin. Authorities say the situation is being monitored constantly.

In response to the attack, Poland heightened security and placed territorial defense forces (WOT) in border regions on urgent alert. Soldiers in the Podlaskie, Masovian, Lublin, and Subcarpathian voivodeships may now receive potential call-up orders requiring them to report within six hours; in several other regions, the window is 12 hours.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency Cabinet meeting for 9 a.m. and held consultations with key defense and security ministers. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was also briefed on the developments.

Zelenskyy said the assault involved at least eight Russian-Iranian attack drones that crossed into Polish and NATO airspace. He warned Russia’s next moves would depend on the strength and coordination of the response from Ukraine’s partners. He urged joint action to deter the aggressor and show clear consequences for its actions.

Tusk later said that on the night of Sept. 10, radar tracked 19 Russian drones in Polish airspace, many of which entered from Belarus. Preliminary reports indicated that four drones were shot down, with the last intercepted at 6:45 a.m. local time (7:45 a.m. Kyiv time).

Tusk also confirmed that Warsaw is asking NATO to invoke Article 4 of the alliance treaty and is in talks with partners about strengthening Poland’s air defense systems.