Poland's foreign minister has said the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace was an attempt by the Kremlin to test Nato's reactions without starting a war, as Romania became the second Nato country to report a similar incursion.
Radosław Sikorski confirmed that the drones that entered Poland last week were not loaded with explosives. 'Interestingly, they were all duds, which suggests to me that Russia tried to test us without starting a war,' he told the Guardian in Kyiv. He dismissed suggestions that Polish air defences were unprepared, noting that only minor property damage occurred and nobody was hurt.
Nato announced it would deploy more jets to its eastern flank to protect against future drone attacks. Poland and allied aircraft were scrambled again on Saturday due to a renewed threat in western Ukraine, though no incursion was reported. Romania protested to Moscow after a Russian drone violated its airspace, summoning the ambassador and condemning the 'unacceptable and irresponsible act'.
Sikorski said Poland's response would have been 'much tougher' if the attack had caused injuries or deaths, but declined to elaborate. He rejected Donald Trump's suggestion that the incursion could have been a mistake, saying 19 drones over seven hours could not all veer off target.
Polish anti-drone teams will receive training from Ukrainian operators to help defend against future attacks. 'The Ukrainians have better equipment and much deeper and more up-to-date experience of resisting the Russian army,' Sikorski said, adding that training would take place at a Nato centre in Poland.
