Poland is preparing to amend its military deployment law to allow its armed forces to intercept Russian drones over Ukraine without prior NATO or EU authorization, Polish daily political newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
According to the report, the Defense Ministry submitted the relevant document in June and plans to consider it through expedited procedures, according to the publication. The current ruling coalition led by Donald Tusk aims to remove restrictions under a “shoot first, ask later” principle, giving military forces more flexibility in responding to threats.
The original law allowed the president to authorize troop deployment at the government’s request in cases including armed conflict, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, or evacuation operations. However, on 23 February 2022, the government of then-Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki introduced amendments requiring approval from NATO, the EU, and the foreign country where Polish forces would operate.
A commission investigating Russian influence later criticized this change. They said that it deprived Warsaw of the right to act independently against drones crossing the border from Ukraine or Belarus. Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the Defense Ministry’s amendment project, submitted in June, is expected to pass through expedited procedures.
Recent airspace violations escalate tensions
On the night of 10 September, Russian drones violated Poland’s airspace. Military forces shot down approximately four of 19 unmanned aircraft, Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported. One drone damaged a house and car in Lublin Voivodeship, with debris found in several villages. Poland activated NATO’s Article 4 that same day to discuss the situation.
“The drones that attacked Ukraine could have crossed the Polish border,” Russia’s Defense Ministry reported, expressing readiness for consultations with Warsaw. The Kremlin left the situation without comment.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the launch of “Eastern Guard” operation on the Alliance’s eastern flank on 12 September, aimed at “eliminating specific threats related to drone use.” The operation covers Poland and Romania.
President Andrzej Duda signed a resolution on 14 September, authorizing NATO member state military presence on Polish territory within the Eastern Guard framework.
Regional pattern emerges
Romania declared air alert in northern regions on 13 September due to strike drone threats. Two F-16 fighters scrambled at 6 pm, intercepting a Russian Shahed drone over the Danube around 7 pm. The Defense Ministry clarified the drone did not fly over populated areas and posed no immediate threat to civilians.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded to the incident, saying the Russian drone remained over Romania for 50 minutes.
Three Russian fighters spent 12 minutes in Estonian airspace on 19 September. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called this “a violation of territorial integrity and UN Charter principles that require refraining from the threat of force.”
An emergency UN Security Council session convened in New York on 22 September regarding Russian aircraft violations of Estonian airspace, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha present. Sybiha emphasized that similar threats require immediate neutralization.
The North Atlantic Council met on23 September under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty to consult and condemn Russia’s 19 September airspace violation of Estonia.