By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN Security Council on Friday held an emergency session to discuss the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, after concerns that the conflict in Ukraine could spill over into the wider region.
The meeting was requested by Poland after reported that at least 19 violations by Russian drones of its territory overnight into Wednesday during a large-scale missile and drone strike against Ukraine.
The episode marked the most serious such incursion since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
UN head for the political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the members of the Council.
Rosemary A. Dicarlo said that on 10 September, Poland informed the President of the Security Council that during the night of 9 and 10 September, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Some of them were shot down pre-emptively.
“This is not the first time that drones have been detected in neighbouring countries during the full-scale war in Ukraine,” she said.
She added “But it is the first time that multiple drones have flown so deep into a neighbouring country’s airspace. It is also the first time that force was used by Poland and its NATO allies to neutralize the perceived threat.”
Ms. DiCarlo said that the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation stated that Russia had no intention to engage any targets on the territory of Poland.
The drones caused damage in residential areas in the Polish villages of Wyryki and Czosnowka, with drone debris also reported in the town of Czesniki.
Polish authorities reported no casualties, she added.
Slovenia envoy said there have been repeated violations of the sovereign airspace of the European Union and NATO member states since 2022, but never on such a scale.
“Slovenia strongly condemns this incursion into Polish airspace – it is unacceptable,” he said.
“Let us be clear: such mistakes do not happen. They are no accidents, they are aggressive and dangerous acts, as it is hard to imagine that so many drones flew so deep over Polish territory unintentionally”.
He said that when a country, already notorious as a serial violator of the UN Charter, acts in such a way, it is very hard not to view this incident as “yet another tactic of terror,”.
“Europe is deeply alarmed.” This escalation directly affects direct the security of European Union citizens and regional stability and international peace. Slovenia once again calls on the Russian Federation to cease this irresponsible behaviour, commit to an immediate ceasefire, and to serious and meaningful peace negotiations
Denmark Ambassador condemned the violation of Polish sovereignty and territorial integrity, described it as “a dangerous and reckless escalation that is completely unacceptable and deeply concerning”.
She voiced her support to Poland in protecting its borders, she noted that Russian drones that are used to “terrorize the people of Ukraine” becoming a “serious threat not only to Ukraine, but to all countries bordering Russia”.
She pointed to a series of Russian massive aerial attacks on Ukraine’s cities that claimed lives of civilians.
Ambassador added that these aggressions “will only reinforce our determination to continue supporting Ukraine”.
She noted that Russia’s war of aggression poses an inherent threat to international peace and stability.
She underscored: “This is why we urge Russia to change its course. To opt for peace.”
“Until Russia changes course, we will continue to increase the costs for Russia and its enablers,” she concluded.
US representative said that “The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations.”
She noted noting that Washington, D.C., is consulting with Poland and our other NATO allies under Article IV of the North Atlantic Treaty.
“Rest assured, we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” she pledged. This incident does not help the extraordinary efforts that the United States has undertaken in recent weeks to broker an end to the war.
Russian Ambassador to the UN accused Poland of hastily pinning blame on Moscow “without presenting any evidence.”
He urged to compare the real magnitude of the incident’s consequences against the “political clickbait” advanced by Polish and European politicians. Moscow’s September 10 strikes targeted military-industrial facilities in Ukraine, he said.
Ambassador Nebezia added that with the drones’ maximum range of 700 kilometers, it was “physically impossible for them to have reached Polish territory”. Russia’s Ministry of Defense, he said, expressed readiness “to engage in professional dialogue and consultations with the ministry of defense of Poland.”
He called on Polish colleagues “to take advantage of these proposals rather than engaging in megaphone diplomacy at multilateral platforms”.
Nebezia criticized reactions of European capitals to the incident, describing them as part of an “information campaign” to escalate conflict.
This “artificially blown up hysteria is beneficial exclusively to the head of the Kiev regime and the European party of war who are desperately trying to derail prospects for Ukrainian resolution,” he concluded.
He pointed to the desertion and losses in the Ukrainian army, he stated that Ukrainian president Zelensky is “the main opponent to a political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis which will uncover his illegitimacy”.
Russia envoy warned that Western weapons and sanctions “do not bring peace any closer but rather entrenches the illusion in Kiev that they will manage to change the reality”.
Secretary of State of Poland, Marcin Bosacki, said Russian officials have repeatedly accused others, primarily Ukraine and its allies, of engaging in “terrorist attacks” by using drones to target infrastructure and civilian areas. The opposite is true as the Russian Federation uses these weapons against civilians.
“Every Russian accusation eventually turns out to be a confession,” he said. For first time in history, the Poland delegation has asked for a Council meeting to declare that the sky over Poland has been deliberately violated by the Russian Federation. Such incidents happened before, but Polish territorial integrity was purposely violated on an unprecedented scale. “We know that it was not a mistake,” he said. “I repeat, ‘It was not a mistake’.”
He said the near Orwellian language of the Council’s Russian colleague combines with latent lies. This same kind of rhetoric was used by Soviet diplomats decades ago when they attacked Czechoslovakia and Poland.
“Russia wants to set the region on fire,” he said. “We must not allow a violation of airspace to become the accepted norm.”
The Council’s credibility and the global rules-based order the Council is sworn to protect is at stake, he stressed.
He added that the Russian Federation is yet again fully violating and showing contempt of basic norms of international law.
“It proves its complete lack of credibility of a permanent member of this Council,” he said.
He added Poland will not be intimidated. “Our resolve to stand with Ukraine and defend the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unwavering. He called on the Council to respond to these violations with a unified, unequivocal, and immediate condemnation.
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Council President for the month, underscored that the recent drone incident near Poland’s eastern border is not “an isolated event” but “a stark reminder that the battlefield may no longer be confined to Ukraine”.
He voiced concern that “what we are seeing can lead to the horizontal expansion of an illegal war—spilling across borders”, threatening the peace and security of neighboring States.
He warned and alarmed by the Poland’s account of the event, indicated that this was not accidental, but rather a deliberate and premeditated act.
“It would mark a dangerous turning point where the war may no longer be contained, but spreading into Europe,” he warned. Ambassador of the Netherlands to the UN spoke for Belgium and Luxembourg, condemned the violation of Polish airspace.
She cited it as “a reckless and dangerous act”, she said it was not an isolated incident and, as such, cannot be ignored.
“This incident demonstrates that if Russia’s aggression remains unchecked, it is bound to repeat itself,” she observed.
She added that it also demonstrates that Ukrainian and European security are closely interlinked.
Benelux countries will continue to support Ukraine to bolster its efforts to defend itself and rebuild the country, she pledged.
She called all countries to actively support Ukraine in its fight to survive.
Belarus envoy to the UN said his delegation supports diplomatic initiatives meant to facilitate direct talks and hopes the results of the recent bilateral Russia-US summit in Alaska will yield tangible results for the peace process.
He regretted that Poland today accused Belarus of escalating the situation and disregarding international law.
“We repudiate any claims against us in connection with the violations of Polish airspace by unmanned aerial vehicles on the night of September 10,” he said
.He added that these accusations were groundless since Belarus was the first and possibly only entity, to inform the Polish side about the approach of drones.
The response by Belarus military officials allowed the Polish side to quickly respond to the actions of drones.
“We have heard rhetoric from the Polish delegation and the Polish military services were more accurate and correct in their statements,” he added.
The exchange of information on the air situation is an important component of ensuring regional security and establishing confidence-building measures.
He criticized Poland’s decision to close its land border with Belarus, which is a groundless step directed against ordinary citizens.
“This causes a real threat to stability,” he added. He called on all parties to revert to constructive dialogue.
Poland and its NATO allies reportedly downed several of the drones the incident has heightened tensions across the region and put the new threats posed by drone warfare at the heart of diplomatic debate.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes were aimed at Ukraine’s military-industrial targets and that it did not intend drones to stray across the border.
Poland’s deputy foreign minister expected to attend with regional states and the European Union.
The incident has raised deep concern over spillover of the conflict in Ukraine.
UN stated that the reported incursion into Polish airspace highlights the growing role of drones in modern conflict.
It added that relatively inexpensive and easy to deploy, drones are increasingly supplemented and in some cases supplanting conventional military hardware.
Armies, armed groups and militias worldwide are rapidly adapting to their use, allowed for strikes and reconnaissance with lower risk to personnel.
The malfunctions, loss of control and human error can lead to unintended strikes or impacts especially when they’re deployed in towns and cities as opposed to the battlefield.
Analysts also said that drones blur the line between traditional military operations and asymmetric warfare, raising the risk of unintended escalation across borders.
