Poland closes key airports following Russian strikes on western Ukraine, U.S. aviation body says

Poland closed four airports, including its main Chopin Airport in Warsaw Wednesday, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, after Russia launched drone strikes near the border in neighboring Ukraine.

Poland’s armed forces said in a post on X that military aircraft had been activated to ensure airspace safety, although there was no official confirmation from the command that anyairportshad been closed.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the military’s operational command said in a post on X.

The U.S. FederalAviationAdministration said the Rzeszow–Jasionka Airport inPoland’s southeast, a hub for passenger and arms transfers toUkraine, was among theairportsthat had been temporarily closed.

Earlier,Ukraine’s air force reported thatRussiandrones had entered NATO-memberPoland’s airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but it subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.

Poland’s Defense Ministry did not immediately reply to Reuters’ request to comment.

In the United States, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said repeated violations of NATO airspace byRussiandrones were a sign that “Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protectPolandand the Baltic nations.”

“After the carnage Putin continues to visit onUkraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” he said on X.

Polandhas been on high alert for objects enteringits airspacesince a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, a few months into Russia’sfull-scale invasion ofUkraine. But there have been no reports of Polish or allied defense systems destroying drones.

As of 0120 GMT, most ofUkraine, includingwesternregions of Volyn and Lviv, which borderPoland, had been under air raid alerts for several hours, according toUkraine’s air force.

Ukrainian media reported that severalRussiandrones crossed intoPoland’s air space. Reuters could not independently verify the reports, and there was no official confirmation fromPolandthatRussiandrones were inPoland’s airspace overnight.