INTERNATIONAL
Poland is at its closest to open conflict since World War Two, PM says
Soldiers patrol the street after a drone or similar object struck a residential building according to local authorities, in Wyryki municipality, Poland September 10, 2025. - Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Jakub Orzechowski/via REUTERS
WARSAW, Poland: Poland is the closest it has been to open conflict since World War Two, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday after the NATO member state shot down Russian drones over its territory.
AI Brief
He said Poland had asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of its treaty, which states that members of the Western military alliance will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.
Tusk told parliament there had been 19 intrusions into Polish airspace overnight. The incursions heightened tensions that were already simmering after previous incursions by drones.
"I have no reason to claim we're on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it's incomparably more dangerous than before," he said.
"This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two".
Tusk said the shooting down of three drones had been confirmed, and it was likely a fourth had been downed.
"The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation. Therefore, allied consultations took the form of a formal request to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty," Tusk said.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said Poland had found seven drones and debris from a missile.
A drone or similar object struck a residential building in Wyryki in eastern Poland but nobody was injured, the local mayor told state-run news channel TVP Info.
Elsewhere in the eastern Lublin region, police said they found a damaged drone in the village of Czosnowka.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Zamosc, also in the Lublin region, said it had been informed of the discovery of drone components, near a cemetery in the town of Czesniki.
In the central Lodz region, a drone was found in a field near the village of Mniszkow.
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AI Brief
- Poland reported 19 drone intrusions overnight, prompting a formal NATO consultation under Article 4.
- Prime Minister Tusk warned of rising danger, saying the situation is the closest to open conflict since WWII.
- Drones caused damage across regions, with several shot down and debris found near homes, fields, and cemeteries.
He said Poland had asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of its treaty, which states that members of the Western military alliance will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.
Tusk told parliament there had been 19 intrusions into Polish airspace overnight. The incursions heightened tensions that were already simmering after previous incursions by drones.
"I have no reason to claim we're on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it's incomparably more dangerous than before," he said.
"This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two".
Tusk said the shooting down of three drones had been confirmed, and it was likely a fourth had been downed.
"The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation. Therefore, allied consultations took the form of a formal request to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty," Tusk said.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said Poland had found seven drones and debris from a missile.
A drone or similar object struck a residential building in Wyryki in eastern Poland but nobody was injured, the local mayor told state-run news channel TVP Info.
Elsewhere in the eastern Lublin region, police said they found a damaged drone in the village of Czosnowka.
The District Prosecutor's Office in Zamosc, also in the Lublin region, said it had been informed of the discovery of drone components, near a cemetery in the town of Czesniki.
In the central Lodz region, a drone was found in a field near the village of Mniszkow.