Poland dispatched fighter jets after detecting a Russian reconnaissance aircraft near its airspace over the Baltic Sea; the aircraft was intercepted and escorted away. Separate overnight incursions near the eastern border were likely smuggling balloons from Belarus and were monitored by radar, prompting a temporary closure of civilian flights over Podlaskie. NATO allies, including Spain and the Netherlands, assisted in air policing and air-defence support. The incident follows large-scale Russian strikes on Ukraine that Kyiv says caused civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
Poland Scrambles Jets on Christmas After Russian Recon Aircraft Spotted Near Baltic Airspace
A NATO AWACS tactical director assesses the air and surface situation aboard an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft during a flight over Polish airspace as part of the alliance’s Eastern Sentry mission, Sept. 19, 2025.
Poland scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after authorities detected a Russian reconnaissance aircraft operating close to Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea.
Poland’s Operational Command said the plane was identified over international waters, intercepted by Polish fighters and escorted away from the area.
The command added that separate airspace events were recorded overnight near Poland’s eastern border.
Graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers are decorated with Christmas trees and New Year’s ornaments at Lychakiv Military Cemetery on the day before Christmas Eve, Dec. 23, 2025, in Lviv, Ukraine.
'At night, entries into Polish airspace of objects from the direction of Belarus were observed. After conducting detailed analyses, it was determined that these were most likely smuggling balloons, moving in accordance with the direction and speed of the wind,' the command said.
All activity was continuously tracked by radar systems. As a precaution, authorities temporarily closed a portion of the airspace over Podlaskie Voivodeship to civilian flights. Officials said no immediate threat to Poland’s airspace was detected following the interceptions, but monitoring remains in place.
The Christmas-day scramble came days after Polish jets were again deployed earlier in the week while Russia conducted extensive strikes against Ukraine. Polish authorities said NATO allies assisted in the response: Spanish aircraft supported air-policing tasks and the Netherlands provided air-defence systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched more than 650 drones and over 30 missiles two days before Christmas, striking Kyiv’s energy infrastructure and other civilian targets.
'Tragically, lives were lost. In the Kyiv region, a woman was killed by a Russian drone. One person was pronounced dead in the Khmelnytskyi region. In the Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child was killed after a Russian drone struck a residential building. My condolences to the families and loved ones,' Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy called the strikes a deliberate attack on civilians and urged greater international pressure to push Russia toward a negotiated peace and stronger security guarantees.
