Poland Threatens Shoot-Downs as NATO Scrambles Jets

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said Warsaw will shoot down any aircraft or other flying objects that violate Polish airspace “without discussion,” and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski reiterated the warning at an emergency U.N. Security Council session. The warnings follow a string of incidents including more than 20 drones entering Polish airspace, an alleged Russian overflight of a Polish oil platform, and three Russian MiG‑31s that NATO says spent about 12 minutes in Estonian airspace. NATO and allied forces scrambled intercepts — including Italian F‑35s, RAF Typhoons and German Eurofighters — to track and monitor suspected Russian aircraft over the Baltic region. Estonia and Poland invoked NATO consultations under Article 4, and the U.N. Security Council convened to consider the violations. Allies and officials urged a united, measured response to avoid dangerous escalation, while analysts warned that shooting down piloted warplanes would mark a major escalation with serious risks.