Description: Poland’s Air Navigation Agency issued a statement saying that Polish airspace in the eastern parts of the country bordering Belarus and Ukraine would be closed off and restricted. Military aircrafts would be deployed on air patrolling duties with support from Poland’s NATO allies which have pledged support and assistance. France and the UK have stated they intended to send fighter jets in order to strengthen the Polish air defense capabilities, while the Czech Republic and the Netherlands were also reportedly sending military personnel and helicopters to further strengthen the eastern border. The military buildup arrives after up to 19 Russian Gerbera drones violated Poland’s airspace in the most severe escalation to date by Russia on a NATO member country. The Kremlin has refused to comment on the incursion stating that the drones were intended to attack targets within eastern Ukraine and Poland was never the intended target of the attacks. The escalation comes before the Zapad joint military drills conducted by Russia and Belarus, which Poland labeled extremely aggressive and stated that the complete eastern border with Belarus would be bolstered by additional 30 thousand troops and completely closed off during the drills.
Impact: Russia’s limited and stymied public response to the drone incursion incident indicates that the action was most probably due to an operational mistake which regardless of the intent, severely escalated tensions in Eastern Europe. The Zapad military drills added to the military buildup and precipitated a wider joint response by NATO members which have deployed numerous military resources and assets in Poland. The incident highlights the dominant and rising role of drones in modern warfare, since the Polish air defense systems failed to intercept 19 aerial objects infiltrating the country’s airspace. Poland in the upcoming period would considerably enhance air defense capabilities in coordination with its NATO allies on par with increasing troop deployment and existing air defense systems on its eastern border.