Poland ‘neutralises’ drone over Warsaw government buildings

WARSAW – Poland neutralised a drone flying over government buildings on the evening of Sept 15 and detained two Belarusian citizens over the incident, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Mr Tusk said that the drone had been spotted over the Belweder Palace, an official presidential residence, and government buildings in the centre of the Polish capital. An investigation into the incident continues, he said in a post on X.

State Protection Services spokesman Boguslaw Piorkowski told Bloomberg News that the drone was secured with “no shots fired” after it was first noticed after 7pm on Sept 15 (Sept 16, 1am Singapore time), without identifying its type.

The episode took place amid heightened tensions on Nato’s eastern flank, as

Belarus hosts Russian troops

for a series of military drills known as Zapad.

It also comes less than a week after

Poland’s airspace was violated by around 20 Russian drones

, prompting widespread concern about the bloc’s ability to fend off future incursions.

Last week, Poland requested additional air defence systems and counter-drone technology from its European allies. Several have offered assistance, with Britain recently announcing that its fighter jets will fly air defence missions over Poland to counter aerial threats from Russia as part of the alliance’s Eastern Sentry mission.

“Investments in drones must be a priority. Ukraine’s experience shows that drones and anti-drone systems are decisive for advantages on the battlefield,” Poland’s Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski told Radio Zet on Sept 16. BLOOMBERG