Key Points and Summary – A mass Russian strike on Ukraine spilled into NATO airspace as more than a dozen drones crossed into Poland, prompting airport closures and a rare Article 4 consultation.
-In a first for the alliance, NATO fighters engaged enemy targets in allied skies: Polish F-16s and Dutch F-35s, backed by Italian AWACS, tankers, and German Patriot units, downed multiple drones.
-Warsaw says 19 crossed; debris fell in several regions with no casualties.
-The episode tests NATO’s integrated air defenses and crisis management while raising escalation risks.
-Key questions now: attribution, deterrent steps, and how allies harden eastern-flank airspace against repeat probes.
NATO F-35 Fighters Take on Russian Drones
In a situation that has come dangerously close to triggering NATO’s Article 5 and a potential war, more than a dozen Russian drones crossed into Poland last night, leading members of NATO to scramble jets.
Per the New York Times, the incident marked the first time in NATO’s more than 75-year history that “alliance fighters had engaged enemy targets in allied airspace.” In 2015, a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M jet near Syria; Russia denied that it had crossed the Turkish border, and no other NATO allies participated.
The overnight incident also caused Poland to invoke Article 4, which is the provision of the North Atlantic Treaty that involves bringing a matter of urgency to the full North Atlantic Council, in cases when“the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.” While the more famous Article 5 has only been invoked once in the history of NATO, after the 9/11 attacks, Article 4 has been invoked eight times in history.
Poland’s invocation is the first time it has happened since the initial invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, when eight different NATO members invoked it. Turkey invoked Article 4 several times in the first 20 years of the century, mostly in relation to wars in Iraq and Syria.
Per the AP, consultations were held at NATO headquarters, with ambassadors to the 32 NATO member nations gathering in Brussels.
F-35s to the Rescue
Per the Times, it’s not clear yet exactly what type of drone landed in Poland, whether it was the Shahed-style drones that have emerged as a key weapon for Russia in the recent months of the war, or some other type of drone.
Citing the Ukrainian Air Force, the Times reported that more than 400 drones were launched at Ukraine, and that “at least eight” were detected crossing the border into Poland. Poland’s prime minister put the number of drones that crossed into Polish airspace at 19.
Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, told the press which weapons were used in the NATO response: “Polish F-16 fighters, Dutch F-35 fighters, German Patriot air defense systems and an Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft,” per the Times.
Air & Space Forces Magazine, citing alliance officials, reported that some Russian drones were shot down by NATO fighter jets.
“It is good that Dutch F-35 fighter jets were able to provide support,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X. He went on to call the drones in NATO airspace “unacceptable” and proof that “Russia’s war of aggression” continues to threaten Europe.
Business Insider reported that the F-35s that participated in the scrambling were only days into a new NATO frontline patrol. The fifth-generation fighters had been deployed by the Dutch to Poland earlier this month, as part of a three-month mission, along with Norway.
“Within the NATO framework, our F-35s make a significant contribution to the defence of our collective security,” Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch minister of defense, said Wednesday, per Business Insider.
The Dutch defense ministry added that the F-35s have taken off before on the occasion of “Russian projectiles that threatened the NATO treaty area,” but this was the first time they have actually engaged.
Trump’s Response
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social, released a terse statement that no leader but Trump would ever even consider: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” It continues a recent pattern of Trump expressing disappointment with his longtime ally Vladimir Putin, without quite going all the way into repudiating him.
A different leader named Donald T, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, had a more forceful response, calling the drone attack “a large-scale provocation,” adding that “the situation is serious, and no one doubts that we must prepare for various scenarios.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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Jim
September 10, 2025 at 7:58 pm
An interesting report: I’d like to see the gun photo evidence, which should exist.
Whether we ever see it is questionable… but full transparency is key, one way or the other.
Now, reports say roughly 19 or so drones flew over Polish airspace, but apparently none landed in anger, but several were taken down… physical evidence is a must. But where did the rest go? I guess the flight of drones flew out of Poland and returned to base?
I didn’t know they could do that.
So, for the voices who want to claim a casus belli for general war on the European Continent… I say slow down.
Put forward the best evidence currently available in public forums for all to see and weigh.
This is not the time for narratives based during the fog of war and passions stirred by looking at the face of a final strangulation of Ukraine on the battlefield with total collapse and defeat.
I want to see evidence, not read rhetoric on how a pack of drones coming into Polish airspace, but causing no damage on the ground, should lead to war between NATO and Russia.
We’ll see what happens.
The best result: a peace treaty of neutrality for Ukraine.