Poland scrambles jets, closes Lublin airport after threat of drone strikes

Police and Military Police secure parts of a damaged UAV shot down by Polish authorities at a site in Wohyn, Poland (AP Photo)

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed to protect Polish airspace on Saturday because of a threat of drone strikes in neighbouring Ukraine, and the airport in the eastern Polish city of Lublin was closed, Polish authorities said.

The Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said the planes took part in an operation near the border with Ukraine ”to ensure the security of our airspace”, three days after Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace with the backing of military aircraft from its NATO allies.

"These actions are preventative in nature and aimed at securing airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened area,” the Command said in the statement.

There was no mention of any violations of Polish airspace in the statement.

Poland said its airspace was violated by Russian drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday as Russia struck Ukraine, where it has been waging war since February 2022. Russia said it had not been targeting Poland.

The Polish Air Navigation Agency said the airport in Lublin and a controlled zone around the airport had been closed to flight operations on Saturday.