September 10, Pozirk. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the Polish military recorded 19 drone incursions in the country’s airspace overnight, BBC reported.
Speaking to the Polish parliament, Tusk said three – or perhaps four – drones were shot down by Polish and NATO aircraft that were scrambled to deal with the threat.
Tusk said a significant number of the drones flew into the country from Belarus. The last drone to be shot down was at 06:45 local time (05.45 BST), he said.
Following the overnight incursion of drones into Poland, Belarus’ defense ministry announced that its air defense forces had been in contact with Polish and Lithuanian counterparts to track stray drones and warn of approaching unidentified aircraft.
It added that the Belarusian Air/Air Defense Forces shot down some of the drones, but would not specify their country of origin.
“During the night-time exchange of UAV strikes between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the Air Defense Forces of the Republic of Belarus on duty continuously monitored drones that had lost their track as a result of the impact of the parties’ electronic warfare assets,” said Chief of the General Staff Major General Pavieł Muraviejka.
“This allowed the Polish side to respond promptly by scrambling its forces on duty,” the statement added.
The ministry also noted that cooperation was mutual: “In fairness, it should be noted that the Polish side also informed the Belarusian forces on duty about the approach of unidentified aircraft from the territory of Ukraine to the border of the Republic of Belarus.”
“The exchange of information on the air situation is an important component of ensuring security in the region as a whole and contributes to building confidence and strengthening security,” it stressed.
