WYRYKI, Poland—When 19 Russian drones crossed into Poland on September 9 and 10, it wasn’t the first time the war in Ukraine spilled over the border. But it was the most significant incursion, and it was the first time Poland responded. Supported by NATO aircraft, Poland’s military shot down at least eight of the drones.
There were no casualties, but homes in the small village of Wyryki were damaged by falling debris. And Polish citizens living near border with neighboring Belarus, where some of the drones were launched from, are wary of what might come next.
When I met Urszula Zaprzaluk last Thursday, she was standing in the garden of her modest home during a steady rain, trying to sweep up the mess that filled her yard: broken glass, scattered bricks, and twisted scraps of metal. It could have been worse.
“I have not slept for two days,” she says. She pauses to wipe rain droplets from her glasses, then points toward the wreckage next door.
A white brick house, its roof cracked wide open and hanging precariously, looks as if it has been cut in half by some unseen hand. “And look at my home,” she continues. “The explosion shattered every window, and shrapnel carved deep scars into the walls.”
Nearby, soldiers of the Polish National Guard haul away the heavier ruins of the neighboring house, which absorbed the full force of a Russian drone as it fell from the sky.
“I thought the war had already started,” Zaprzaluk recalls. “There was a huge bang, like lightning. I was terrified because I knew it was serious. If [our neighbors] hadn’t stepped out of their bedroom, they’d be dead. Since the rocket fell on Przewodów a few years ago, I’ve had a feeling something like this would happen.”
Zaprzaluk was referring to an incident in November 2022 in which a Russian-made missile—albeit one believed to have been fired by Ukraine in self-defense—struck Polish territory and killed two people. Last week’s incursion was different.
Moscow denies responsibility, insisting Warsaw has provided no “proof” of Russian origin. But Poland formally requested the activation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which calls for consultations among allies whenever one perceives itself under threat.
While Donald Trump downplayed the incident, calling it a “mistake,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk firmly rejected that claim. “It was by no means a mistake. We wish it had been. But we know it wasn’t,” he said.
For Sébastien Gobert, a journalist specializing in Ukraine and author of Ukraine, the Republic of Oligarchs, the incident marks a turning point. “This is a major step: Poland, for the first time, shot down Russian drones. It remains unclear whether it was a genuine attack or an attempt to bypass Ukrainian air defense. Either way, it’s unprecedented.”
He believes Moscow sought to test NATO’s responsiveness, Poland’s strategic autonomy, and Western cohesion. According to him, Vladimir Putin, emboldened by his recent meeting in Alaska with Donald Trump, now acts with renewed confidence.
“That meeting reinforced his perception of American weakness,” Gobert told me. ”On top of that, during his recent trip to China in September 2025, he was reassured of Chinese backing, which allows him to raise funds on their financial markets.”
In this context, U.S. protection, long seen as a security guarantee, appears shakier than ever.
Xavier Tytelman, a defense consultant, dismisses the notion of a technical mishap. He believes Moscow aims to pressure Europe into scaling back support for Kyiv and pushing Ukraine toward surrender.
“The drones entered Polish territory along multiple routes,” he said. “This wasn’t a device veering off course. It was a deliberate attempt by Russia to provoke escalation and intimidate us.”
Both experts agree, however, that Poland demonstrated a high level of preparedness. Warsaw deployed eight F-16s, supported by allied aircraft from France and the Netherlands. This mobilization, they argue, shattered a long-standing taboo and could prompt NATO to rethink its strategy.
Tytelman raised the possibility of a buffer zone along the Ukrainian border where NATO air defenses would directly intercept Russian projectiles. Gobert points to the Sky Shield initiative, supported by several European states, which envisions protecting Ukrainian skies as far east as the Dnipro River—the country’s main waterway, running through Kyiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia before reaching the Black Sea, and roughly cutting Ukraine in two. Such coverage would secure western Ukraine, including Kyiv, and allow Ukrainian forces to concentrate resources on major eastern cities like Kharkiv, Odessa, and Dnipro.
In Włodawa, a small town near the Belarusian border, wariness lingers. From the bell tower of St. Louis Church, built in the 18th century, the Bug River that makes up part of the border with Belarus is visible. The church stands serene above the main square, but fences and barbed wire stretching into the forest just down the hill underscore the tense frontier.
“The Russians and Belarusians have begun joint drills,” a passerby remarks after Mass. “This week’s attack was no coincidence.”
Since 2009, Russia has conducted the Zapad military exercises every four years with its allies. This year, they took place in Belarus from September 12 to 16. In response, Poland, along with Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, reinforced its border security and, given the drone incident, Warsaw temporarily closed some border crossings with Belarus during the exercises.
Here in Włodawa, fear mixes with fatigue. Madelina, head of the local Red Cross, talks to me in her office just a few minutes from the church. She says she hasn’t slept much since the attack and criticizes the authorities for their lack of readiness.
“When drones enter Polish airspace, we get no alerts. All we heard was a massive explosion. My son said it was F-16s shooting down Russian drones above us. But we had no official information. It was terrifying.”
Next to her, Natasha Bondarenko, a refugee from Kharkiv, relives her worst memories. “It felt like the start of the war in Ukraine. Everything was calm, and then suddenly we were woken by Russian bombardments. That night, it was February 2022 all over again.”
Still, both women are hopeful Moscow won’t dare attack Poland directly. “It’s a test, but I don’t think there will be war. The Polish army is the strongest in the EU. But we’ll have to get used to events like this,” Madelina says.
