Heightened Tensions: Poland Closes Airspace as Russia Intensifies Ukraine Strikes; NATO Bolsters Baltic Security

Following a fresh wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine, a segment of Polish airspace located southeast of the capital was temporarily shut down on Sunday due to “unplanned military activity.” The Polish armed forces confirmed the deployment of fighter jets as a proactive measure to protect the country’s airspace and guarantee public safety. The airspace closure affected the cities of Lublin and Rzeszów and was scheduled to last until the early morning hours. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force issued a nationwide alert, activating air raid sirens across the country from 03:00 GMT on Sunday in response to the ongoing Russian missile strikes. Earlier in the month, Polish and NATO forces intercepted Russian drones that entered Polish airspace, the first direct military clash with Moscow since the 2022 invasion. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned NATO and the European Union that any aggressive actions toward Russia would be met with a resolute response. Lavrov, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, asserted that Moscow had no intent to attack the West, but would react if provoked. In a separate development, NATO announced an upgrade to its Baltic Sea mission, including an air defense frigate and other assets, such as “intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms,” in response to drone incursions near Denmark. Unidentified drones were spotted near Danish military installations overnight on Saturday, which led to the authorities labeling the incidents as hybrid attacks. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.” Copenhagen airport, the busiest in the Nordic region, was temporarily closed, while five smaller Danish airports, both civilian and military, also suspended operations briefly in the days that followed. Neighboring Norway saw police investigate possible drone sightings near Oerland air force base, the main base for the country’s F-35 jets. In Germany, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt reported a drone “swarm” over Schleswig-Holstein, and expressed a desire to revise air safety laws so that the armed forces can shoot down drones. On Friday, defense ministers from about ten EU countries indicated their commitment to prioritizing the construction of a “drone wall” to secure their borders. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by saying that such measures would escalate military and political tensions on the continent, asserting that the plans represented “personal ambitions and political games of the EU’s ruling elites.”