WARSAW, Poland, Sept 10, (AP): Poland said early Wednesday that it and its NATO allies had shot down Russian drones that violated Polish airspace in what it called an "act of aggression” as Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media that "Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a large number of Russian drones.

Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.” Poland’s armed forces were on a heightened state of alert overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday because of what they described as "further massive airstrikes against targets located in Ukraine.” Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that "more than 10 objects” crossed into Polish air space and those that constituted a risk to Poland’s security were neutralized.

He thanked NATO Air Command and The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force for supporting the action with F-35 fighter jets. Bernard Blaszczuk, mayor of the village of Wyryki in Lublin region, told TVP Info that a house was hit by "either a missile or a drone, we don’t know yet”. He said people were inside the building but nobody was hurt.

The Polish armed forces said Wednesday morning that a search for possible crash sites is ongoing and urged people not to approach, touch or move any objects they see, warning that they may pose a threat and could contain hazardous material. Warsaw’s Chopin Airport suspended flights for several hours, citing the closure of airspace due to military operations.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that early indications suggest the drone incident was intentional. "Last night in Poland we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental,” Kallas said in a statement. The EU’s top diplomat said that she is in contact with NATO and Poland’s foreign minister and following developments.

"The EU stands in full solidarity with Poland. Russia’s war is escalating, not ending. We must raise the cost to Moscow, strengthen support for Ukraine, and invest in Europe’s defense,” she said. In a post on social media, NATO chief spokesperson Allison Hart said that "numerous drones entered Polish airspace overnight and were met with Polish and NATO air defenses.”

Hart said later that the military organization’s 32 national envoys will discuss how NATO at a pre-planned meeting. Poland has complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine before. In August, Poland’s defense minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone, and called it a provocation by Russia.