{"id":154835,"date":"2025-09-11T12:56:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T09:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/154835\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"drones-over-poland-putin-puts-lukasenka-in-a-tough-spot","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/154835\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones over Poland: Putin puts \u0141uka\u0161enka in a tough spot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Polish officials described the September 10 incursion of 19 drones as an act of aggression, blaming Russia for the violation of Polish airspace. Russia\u2019s military acknowledged carrying out \u201ca mass strike\u201d on military-industrial targets in Western Ukraine that night, including with attack drones, but insisted that \u201cthere had been no plans to target facilities on the territory of Poland.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Russia's Gerbera drone shot down by Ukrainian border guards\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (dpsu.gov.ua)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belarus says it warned Poland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 defense ministry announced that its air defense forces had coordinated with Polish and Lithuanian counterparts to track stray drones and alert them to approaching unidentified aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It added that the Belarusian Air and Air Defense Forces shot down some of the drones but declined to specify their country of origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring 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 parties\u2019 electronic warfare systems,\u201d said Chief of the General Staff Major General Pavie\u0142 Muraviejka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis allowed the Polish side to respond promptly by scrambling its forces on duty,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacek Goryszewski, spokesman for the Polish Armed Forces\u2019 Operational Command, confirmed that the military had exchanged information with both Ukraine and Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that 19 Russian drones entered Poland, many of them from Belarus, with three or four shot down by Polish and NATO air defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no reason to say that we are at war today. But there is no doubt that this provocation goes beyond the limits of previous ones and is incomparably more dangerous for Poland than all the others,\u201d Tusk stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was Minsk involved?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Polish Foreign Minister Rados\u0142aw Sikorski pointed the finger at Belarus. \u201cThat they [the drones] have come from Belarus is an additional factor that makes us believe it was a planned operation. . . . I hope Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka will understand that our cup of patience has overflown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 involvement in the attack is plausible. Although the Belarusian strongman is reluctant to step directly into the conflict, Russian leader Vladimir Putin could easily compel him to assist Moscow\u2019s military. In 2022, too, \u0141uka\u0161enka was unwilling to provide Russian forces with a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine, yet he ultimately had no way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the Russians could have launched the drones from thier territory without consulting their ally. General Muraviejka\u2014normally known for his hawkish rhetoric\u2014appeared this time to downplay the incident. It is therefore quite possible that the incursion took both him and \u0141uka\u0161enka by surprise, which could explain why Belarusian air defenses shot down some of the drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is \u0141uka\u0161enka in control?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the Belarusian ruler was unaware of the overnight operation across his country, it suggests that Moscow no longer takes him into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Minsk\u2019s perspective, the timing could not be worse for provoking Poland and NATO, as it seeks engagement with Washington to ease sanctions. \u0141uka\u0161enka increasingly looks like a pawn in the Kremlin\u2019s dangerous game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Putin does not consult him before attacking Poland, then in Moscow\u2019s eyes he is not a serious political player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse still, the Kremlin could one day decide to test NATO\u2019s resolve by launching nuclear missiles from Belarus. In that case, Muraviejka\u2019s explanations would not save his country from the alliance\u2019s retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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