United front after Russian drones over Polish skies
Shortly before 8am local time (7am Irish time) Poland's armed forces said it ended its operation in response to reported drone activity close to its eastern borders, following overnight Russian drone strikes on western Ukraine.
So far we know that radar systems in Poland tracked at least ten drones that entered Polish air space in the early hours this morning.
The earliest report of a drone entering Polish airspace occurred just before 4am local time (3am Irish time).
Some of the drones were shot down by Poland’s air defences, one of which was located near the city of Biała Podlaska.
Polish armed forces and emergency services are trying to locate the remaining drones that crashed.
Pictures have also emerged in Polish media in the past hour of the damaged roof of a house in the town of Wyryki in the Lublin region.
No one was injured according to local authorities.
"There was a violation of the airspace by a large number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down," said Prime Minister Donald Tusk during this morning's special meeting of the Polish cabinet and defence chiefs to discuss the situation.
"We are most likely dealing with a large-scale provocation," said Mr Tusk, adding that he was in constant contact with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Early this morning, Polish authorities had issued a warning to people living in the eastern border provinces of Podlasie and Lublin, but also the east-central region of Mazowiecki where the capital Warsaw is located.
That could suggest that drone activity was reported in the skies over Mazowiecki, though officials are yet to confirm how far west the drones travelled.
Flights to and from airports in Warsaw, Lublin and Rzeszow were closed for a number of hours while Polish military operations took place in the skies.
Those airports were reopened shortly before 8am local time (7am Irish time) and normal services have resumed.
Like every other mobile phone user in Poland, I received a text message just before 9am local time morning, warning people to report drone crash sites to authorities but to not approach them.
In the capital, Varsovians are going about their business as usual.
The streets are busy with cars and traffic, as they normally are on a weekday morning.
Both Mr Tusk and Polish President Karol Nawrocki are reported to be in constant contact.
Both men come from different sides of Poland’s political spectrum and clash on most domestic issues.
But the one issue they can agree on is Poland’s national security so we can expect to see a united front on display today from both Mr Tusk and Mr Nawrocki.
Mr Tusk has urged Polish citizens not to panic.
Nonetheless, this morning's Russian drone activity over Polish skies marks a significant development in tensions along NATO's eastern flank.
Read more: Russian drones in Poland's airspace 'reckless', says Taoiseach
