Tensions continue to simmer between Russia and European nations following the breach of Polish airspace by drones.
As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia persists, the strain between Russia and NATO countries remains palpable.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that Russian drones had breached their airspace amid an assault on Ukraine the previous week. He emphasized the need for further measures and urged the nation to brace for ‘various scenarios’ should the situation escalate, labeling it as a ‘large-scale provocation’ that warranted a response from Poland.
The Russian Ministry of Defence maintained that the drones were solely aimed at Ukrainian targets, with no intention of targeting Poland.
Yet, on Monday, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Head of Russia’s Security Council, did little to alleviate the prevailing concerns and tensions regarding a potential escalation.
In a Telegram statement, he expressed amusement at Eastern Sentry, a recent NATO initiative designed to protect allies on the eastern flank.
He further stated: “But seriously, the implementation of the provocative idea of… creating a ‘no-fly zone over Ukraine’ and the ability for NATO countries to shoot down our UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will mean only one thing – a war between NATO and Russia.”
Following the violation of Polish airspace and the subsequent downing of drones, NATO released a statement about the new initiative.
The statement declared: “The multi-domain activity, which will commence in the coming days and continue for an undisclosed amount of time, is in response to ongoing airspace violations, including the numerous Russian drones that violated Poland’s airspace on September 10.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that Russia and NATO are effectively at war due to NATO’s participation in the ongoing conflict.
He told reporters on Monday (September 15): “Nato is de facto involved in this war. Nato is providing direct and indirect support to the Kyiv regime. It can be said with absolute certainty that Nato is fighting against Russia.”
This situation could escalate as Poland has urged NATO to take action.
Poland requested the invocation of NATO’s Article 4, which stipulates that NATO members ‘will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened’.
Any NATO member has the right to request activation of Article 4 if ‘territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened’.