NATO Shoots Down Over 15 Russian Drones in Poland Incursion

More than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting NATO forces to intercept and shoot down at least 15 of them in what Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described as the closest the alliance has been to open conflict since World War II. In response to the incursion, Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, triggering consultations among member states about collective security measures, marking a rare and serious escalation amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. NATO scrambled fighter jets from Poland and the Netherlands and used German air defense systems and Italian surveillance aircraft to counter the drones. While Russian involvement was not explicitly denied by the Kremlin, it blamed NATO and the EU for unfounded accusations, and Belarus reported shooting down some drones that entered its airspace. US President Donald Trump’s public comments were brief and vague, prompting criticism from Democrats who saw his response as weak towards Russia, while Republicans defended his broader strategy. The incident marks the first known occasion of NATO firing shots in response to Russia’s actions in the Ukraine conflict, intensifying scrutiny of President Trump’s foreign policy and NATO’s collective defense posture.