NATO countries are sending more air defence systems and troops to boost defence of Poland against future Russian’s incursions on the eastern flanks of the alliance, NATO leaders announced on Friday.
Germany, France and Denmark will provide fighter jets and other military assets to Poland, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced at a NATO headquarters in Brussels on September 12. In addition, the UK will contribute to the new deterrence mission dubbed “Eastern Sentry”, which will expand across from the Arctic in the north to the Black Sea and Mediterranean in the south to better tackle Russian drones and missiles.
“Eastern Sentry will add flexibility and strength to our posture and make clear that, as a defensive alliance, we are always ready to defend," Rutte explained.
“In addition to more traditional military capabilities, this effort will also feature elements designed to address the particular challenges associated with the use of drones,” he went on saying.
The move came after unprecedented incursion into Poland’s air space of 21 Russian drones on early Wednesday. Multiple drones were downed with Dutch fighter jets, while one drone flew deep into Poland, forcing the closure of the country’s four airports. Poland invoked Article 4 of NATO and requested a UN Security Council session about the incident, which will take place on Friday.
In response to Russia’s drone incursion, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic announced they would send defences to Poland to help defence the country’s airspace, while France pledged to supply Poland with three Rafale fighter jets. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced in Parliament on Thursday that the Netherlands would deploy air defence systems, artillery and 300 troops, while the Czech would send helicopters and 100 soldiers to his country.
Although Russia has on several occasions violated NATO’s airspace in the past, incursion into Poland on early Wednesday was the most serious incident of its kind since the start of the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
