Poland has officially announced the deployment of NATO troops to its territory in response to repeated breaches of the treaty’s airspace by the Kremlin. The operation, known as Eastern Sentry, is shrouded in secrecy but reportedly involves the placement of NATO forces within Poland. This action follows Russia’s violation of Romanian airspace and the incursion of 19 drones into Polish territory last week, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to denounce it as an escalation of conflict.
In the aftermath of Poland’s airspace breach, Warsaw requested that NATO activate Article 4 of the treaty, marking the initiation of significant NATO operations. In a swift response, NATO scrambled F-16s after Russian drones, intended for targets in Ukraine, entered Romanian airspace. Ukraine faced drone strikes while Moscow’s actions prompted Zelensky to assert that the situation was a deliberate act of war by Russia.
Romania dispatched two F-16s to monitor the incursion, labeling it a new security challenge for the region. The Romanian defense ministry reported detecting a drone within its airspace, tracking it until it vanished near Chilia Veche village, condemning Russia’s disregard for international laws in such incidents.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, condemned the Russian incursion as a reckless threat to security, asserting solidarity with Romania in the face of such violations. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the drone incident as the most severe threat since World War II, with NATO forces successfully intercepting four drones and recovering seven more on Polish soil.
Despite the Kremlin’s denial of involvement, attempting to shift blame to Kyiv, evidence points to Russian assets behind the drone incursions. The situation continues to escalate tensions in the region, with international condemnation of Russia’s actions.