Poland wants to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine independently, without NATO and EU approval
Kyiv • UNN
Poland plans to change its legislation to allow its military to act independently against Russian drones over Ukraine, removing bureaucratic restrictions from 2022. A Ministry of Defense bill, submitted in June, would allow drones to be shot down without NATO and EU approval.
The Polish authorities are preparing to change legislation to restore the military's right to act independently against Russian drones appearing over Ukrainian territory. This is reported by Euractiv, writes UNN.
Details
In this way, Warsaw seeks to remove bureaucratic restrictions, introduced back in 2022, which require the approval of NATO, the EU, and the state where Polish troops will operate.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the Ministry of Defense's bill, submitted in June, is planned to be considered under an accelerated procedure. If the amendments are adopted, the Polish military will be able to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine or Belarus without additional approvals.
Previous changes, adopted by the government of the Law and Justice party on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion, effectively deprived Warsaw of the ability to quickly respond to air threats. A special commission investigating Russian influence has already criticized this norm, calling it an obstacle to national security.
The current coalition declares its intention to restore the principle of "act first - ask questions later," giving the Polish army more freedom to protect its airspace and respond to potential attacks.
Recall
On the night of September 9-10, during Russia's night attack on Ukraine, Polish airspace was repeatedly violated by drones. Protective measures were taken. Drones that posed an immediate threat were shot down by Polish and allied aircraft.
But even now, American and Western intelligence agencies cannot conclude whether it was an accident or a deliberate test of the alliance's defenses.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and Polish National Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a memorandum on the creation of a joint operational group on unmanned aerial systems.