Poland on 'combat alert' after reports of Russian UAV entering airspace

Warsaw [Poland], September 10: Poland's combat command said ground-based air defense systems and reconnaissance radars were put on maximum combat readiness after being notified by Ukraine of a Russian drone incursion into its airspace.
Reuters news agency reported that Polish and allied aircraft were mobilized on the morning of September 10 to protect airspace, after the Ukrainian Air Force warned that Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entered Polish airspace.
"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defense systems and reconnaissance radars have been placed on maximum combat readiness," Poland's operational command said on social network X.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force said on the Telegram app that the UAVs were flying west and threatening the Polish city of Zamosc. The city is about 65 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. It is not yet clear how many Russian UAVs have entered Polish airspace.
Ukrainian media reported that at least one was heading towards the city of Rzeszow in western Poland.
Polish authorities have also closed Rzeszow airport in eastern Poland, a key logistics hub for Western military aid to Ukraine, citing "unplanned military activity related to ensuring national security," according to BNO News.
Polish and Russian officials did not immediately comment on the information.
In another development, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on September 9 that his country will close its border with Belarus from September 11 because Russia is leading a military exercise in Belarus.
Large-scale military exercises by Russia and Belarus, known as Zapad, have raised concerns in neighboring NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Zapad-2025 will be held in western Russia and Belarus.
Asked about the timing of the border closure, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the border would only be reopened when the government was sure that "there is no longer any threat to Polish citizens".
In addition, Mr. Tusk also said that Poland had arrested a Belarusian spy and would expel a Belarusian diplomat amid bilateral tensions.
Belta news agency quoted a statement from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry saying that the country had sent a note of protest to Poland 's decision to suspend border traffic during the Zapad 2025 strategic exercise.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper