Exclusive
 | NATO’s boiled frog moment: 19 drones, zero consequences. Poland has everything needed to stop Russian drones. NATO has the world’s most advanced air defenses. Neither matters when the alliance refuses to use them. |
 | Russia saved armor all year for this moment—150,000 troops close in on Pokrovsk. Russian reinforcements are surging toward Pokrovsk. But so are Ukrainian reinforcements. A big fight looms. |
 | Ukraine built mobile branches and redundant comms, keeping mail running under fire. Crisis breeds efficiency that comfort cannot match. |
Military
Poland shoots down Russian drones, closes 4 airports in “unprecedented” border violation. For the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion, a NATO member country came under direct attack when Polish forces intercepted Russian drones violating national airspace
NATO jets shoot down Russian drones in Poland—but NATO believes it’s not an attack. Despite its own involvement, the Alliance refuses to define it as an act of war.
Moscow programmes drone flight using same corridor as earlier airspace violations – Polish military analyst says. Russian drones followed an 8-kilometer corridor east of Chelm toward Zamosc, which military analysts view as deliberate NATO defense testing rather than Ukrainian electronic warfare disruption.
Intelligence and technology
While West discusses security guarantees for Ukraine, Kyiv offers NATO state training against Russian drones after fist mass attack. Western capitals continue drafting security guarantee frameworks for Ukraine even as Kyiv demonstrates superior defensive capabilities.
New mega-deal on horizon: Germany to invest €300 million in Ukraine’s “deep strike” drones. Berlin bets on Ukrainian drones. The €300 million “deep strike” initiative to scale UAV production and reshape Europe’s security landscape
Ukrainian intelligence may have prevented even bigger destruction on Polish territory amid Russian attack. Ukraine warned Poland of attack before 19 Russian drones breached the NATO member airspace.
NATO state admits it is defenseless against Russian attacks, and cannot respond like Poland. President Pellegrini warns his country lacks modern air defenses, leaving civilians exposed if drones or missiles cross Slovak skies, while Poland scrambled jets after Moscow’s recent strike.
International
Zelenskyy warns no one is safe in Europe, as Poland invokes NATO’s Article 4 after Russian UAVs breach airspace. Hundreds of drones rained down on Ukraine, but the shock came when Moscow’s UAVs crossed into Polish skies.
EU unlocks $ 7 bn from frozen Russian assets to form drone alliance against Russian mass production. The European Union will provide Ukraine with $7 bn in advance funding for drone manufacturing as Ukrainian unmanned systems account for over two-thirds of Russian equipment losses
Ursula von der Leyen announces summit on return of Ukrainian children. “Every kidnapped Ukrainian child must be returned,” European Commission President declared while announcing an international summit to address tens of thousands of missing Ukrainian minors.
Czech PM calls Russian drone incursion “systematic test” of NATO defenses. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron joined Czech and EU officials in condemning Russia’s “reckless” and “deliberate” drone attack on Poland
Sybiha tells Hungarian counterpart Ukraine ready for “mutually respectful” talks. Ukrainian FM reached out to his Hungarian counterpart, pushing for support on EU accession talks days after the two ministries clashed over pipeline strikes and membership prospects.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russian drone crashes into residential building in Poland. A Russian drone crashed into a residential building near Poland’s border with Belarus overnight, damaging the roof and a parked car as Polish forces shot down over a dozen unmanned aircraft
Russia launches 415 drones, 43 missiles in massive overnight assault on Ukraine. A garment factory worker died and nine people were wounded when Russia launched its most extensive drone and missile barrage in recent months
Political and legal developments
Antidepressant sales jump 36% in Russia. Putin’s electronic conscription system has inadvertently created a pharmaceutical boom, with Russian citizens spending over $100 million on anxiety medications
Moscow denies responsibility for Russian strike on Poland, Belarus insists drones “just lost their way”. Some 19 drones enter Polish airspace for six hours, forcing NATO Article 4 consultations while the Kremlin denies responsibility.
Prime Minister: Ukraine receives another $1.2 bn loan from the EU at the expense of frozen Russian assets. The funds represent the latest tranche under the ERA Loans program, which converts Russian asset revenues into financial support for Ukraine’s defense efforts.
New developments
London Opera House ignores calls to cancel Putin-linked Netrebko as protesters rally outside. Ukraine’s Ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhnyi condemned the Royal Opera House’s decision to host Russian singer Anna Netrebko, writing that her voice on stage “drowns out the real cries – the cries from destroyed maternity hospitals in Mariupol.”
Read our earlier daily review here