Poland shuts airports, scrambles jets after Russian drone near border

Polish authorities temporarily suspended civilian flights at two airports and scrambled fighter jets on September 17, 2026, after a Russian drone attack in western Ukraine brought an unmanned aircraft close to the NATO member's border. The precautionary measures were taken at Lublin and Rzeszów airports as ground-based air defense and radar systems were placed on heightened alert. The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command reported that military aviation operations were launched in response to the detection of a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle approaching the border. An explosion from the drone was recorded approximately four kilometers from the Polish border in western Ukraine. Polish officials later confirmed that the country's airspace had not been violated during the incident. Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, a spokesman for the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command, stated that the drone was either neutralized or hit its target near the border. The Government Security Centre also issued alerts to residents in parts of the Lublin and Podkarpackie regions during the attack.