Poland sent fighter jets to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near its airspace over the Baltic Sea. It said dozens of objects entered from Belarus overnight, warning that the incidents during the holiday season may signal a provocation.
"This morning, over the international waters of the Baltic Sea, Polish fighter jets intercepted, visually identified, and escorted from their area of responsibility a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near the borders of Polish airspace," the Polish army said on Thursday.
Countries on NATO's eastern flank have been on high alert for potential airspace incursions since September, when three Russian military jets violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes just days after more than 20 Russian drones had entered Polish airspace.
Poland's National Security Bureau said several dozen objects entered Polish airspace from the Belarusian side, and four discovered so far had been identified as likely smuggling balloons.
."..the mass nature of the violation of Polish airspace, its occurrence during the special holiday season, the assessment of the Russian aircraft's activity in the Baltic Sea, and the fact that similar incidents have recently occurred in Lithuania, may indicate that this was a provocation disguised as a smuggling operation," it said.
Belarusian and Russian embassies in Warsaw did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Smuggler balloons from Belarus have repeatedly disrupted air traffic in Lithuania, forcing Vilnius airport closures.
Lithuania says they are sent by smugglers transporting cigarettes and constitute a "hybrid attack" by Belarus, a close ally of Russia. Belarus has denied responsibility for the balloons.
The Polish army said part of the airspace over northeast Poland's Podlaskie region, which borders Belarus, was temporarily closed to civilian traffic to ensure security.
Concerns over September airspace breach
On Sept. 9–10, 2025, Poland reported Russian drones crossing its airspace and invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, triggering urgent consultations within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Days later, the alliance rolled out Operation Eastern Sentry to reinforce the eastern flank. Earlier this year, NATO had already activated Baltic Sentry to strengthen surveillance and critical-infrastructure protection across the Baltic Sea region.
Carl Peterson, cofounder and chief operating officer at DFA Systems, told The Media Line that there had been “confirmed violations of NATO airspace” over Poland involving a Gerbera decoy drone and the Geran-2 attack drone, adding that Warsaw’s decision to invoke Article 4 “initiates security consultations.”
Motive assessments range from probing to harassment. “There could be a number of possibilities as to why the Russians are doing this. It could be intelligence collection … or assessing reactions and response times for air defenses. It could also be harassment, with the Russians just seeking to cause problems for NATO countries and their citizens,” says Peterson.