On September 10, nineteen Russian drones entered Poland, marking the largest violation of NATO airspace since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine more than three and a half years ago. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described the attack as an attempt to probe NATO defenses and test the alliance’s commitment to protect its eastern flank. Afterwards, Poland invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty initiating consultations with allies, but opted not to push for Article 5, which calls on all NATO countries to provide assistance if a member state’s security is threatened.
Over the past week, numerous Western leaders have condemned Russia’s “reckless” incursion. Meanwhile, NATO has announced the launch of the Eastern Sentry deterrence initiative, with plans for more integrated air defense, intelligence sharing, and new assets. Despite these steps, some believe the response has so far been insufficient. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticizedNATO’s “lack of action,” suggesting that European countries need to go further and work on a joint air defense system to create “an effective air shield over Europe.”
Voice of Ukraine 