A drone flying over sensitive government sites in Warsaw was neutralized by Poland’s State Protection Service (SOP), Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday, Sept. 15.
“Just now, the State Protection Service neutralized a drone operating over government buildings (Parkowa Street) and the Belweder Palace,” Tusk wrote in a post on X.
Two Belarusian citizens have been detained in connection with the incident and police have launched an investigation, he added.
No information about the identity of those detained was immediately disclosed.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions after 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace on Sept. 9, temporarily shutting down at least four airports including Rzeszów, Lublin, Warsaw, and Modlin.
NATO aircraft, including Polish F-16s, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance planes and refueling aircraft were sent to intercept the drones.
Elsewhere along the alliance’s eastern frontier, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania have all reported Russian drone incursions.
In response, NATO countries elected to move troops and fighter jets eastwards as part of its Eastern Sentry mission to bolster the military alliance’s eastern flank after the incursion.
Denmark will contribute two F-16 fighter jets to boost Poland’s air defense as well as a warship, while France will send three Rafale fighter jets and Germany has promised four Eurofighters, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The UK announced on Monday, Sept. 15 that it would deploy Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon jets to join the Eastern Sentry, supported by a RAF Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft from RAF Brize Norton.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “These aircraft are not just a show of strength, they are vital in deterring aggression, securing NATO airspace and protecting our national security and that of our allies.”
UK Defence Secretary John Healey added that the jets would “help deter Russian aggression and, where needed, defend NATO’s airspace, making Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”