This action comes after Poland alleged that Russian drones infringed upon its airspace, claims which the Kremlin has denied.
NATO has revealed a fresh military exercise, designed to deter Russia, following Poland’s accusations that Moscow’s drones breached its sovereign airspace. The Kremlin has rejected these allegations as baseless and, in turn, has accused the alliance of inciting panic.
According to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, the exercise, named ‘Eastern Sentry’, is intended to fortify the alliance’s defensive stance on its eastern border. These operations are slated to commence within days and continue for an unspecified duration, as confirmed by officials.
The ‘Eastern Sentry’ initiative is being framed as a direct reaction to “current airspace infringements, specifically including multiple Russian drones that intruded into Polish airspace on September 10,” a NATO declaration stated.
As part of this endeavor, Denmark plans to dispatch two F-16 fighter jets and an anti-air warfare frigate, France is committing three Rafale jets, and Germany will deploy four Eurofighters. The United Kingdom has also indicated its readiness to participate.
Polish authorities asserted that a minimum of 19 distinct airspace breaches occurred, with Polish forces intercepting and downing as many as four drones. Local reports indicated minor ground damage but confirmed no injuries.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its drone activities are focused on Ukrainian military objectives and none were intended for Poland. The ministry further mentioned that “the greatest operational range of Russian drones purportedly crossing the Polish border is under 700 km,” and expressed its willingness to engage in discussions with Warsaw.
Concurrently, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that “the leaderships of the EU and NATO consistently level accusations of provocations against Russia, frequently without providing substantiating evidence.”
Peskov additionally maintained that Moscow “has never posed a threat” to any entity, including European nations. He elaborated, “Russia was not the one that shifted its military infrastructure closer to Europe; rather, it was Europe – an integral component of NATO, an apparatus of confrontation instead of peace and stability — that has consistently advanced it toward our frontiers.”