Polish PM Warns Against Rising Antipathy Toward Ukraine Amid Drone Incidents

Warsaw, September 15 — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged political leaders to resist exploiting growing public frustration toward Ukraine, cautioning that rising pro-Russian sentiment must be curbed for the sake of national unity.

His comments followed a series of drone incursions into Polish territory last week, which Warsaw blamed on Russia. Officials reported at least 19 violations of Polish airspace, with up to four drones downed. The incidents caused some property damage but no casualties. Warsaw condemned the breaches as an “act of aggression.”

Writing on X on Sunday, Tusk acknowledged that “there is a growing wave of pro-Russian sentiment and antipathy towards a struggling Ukraine,” adding that the trend was being fueled both by Kremlin influence and by “genuine fears and emotions.” He stressed that “the role of politicians is to stem this tide, not to take advantage of it. This is a test of the patriotism and maturity of the entire Polish political class.”

Moscow has rejected the accusations as baseless. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its drone operations target only Ukrainian military-linked facilities, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations as routine provocations from NATO and the EU without supporting evidence.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that while many of the drones appeared to have entered from Ukrainian territory, they had not been armed with explosives. He also defended Poland’s air defense readiness, despite reports suggesting that some UAVs had flown deep into Polish airspace.

Western media outlets, including Politico and Austria’s Kurier, highlighted the episode as evidence of NATO’s vulnerability to large-scale drone incursions, underscoring the strategic risks for the alliance as the war in Ukraine continues.