Russia on Wednesday accused Poland of spreading “myths” and failing to provide proof after Warsaw reported shooting down several drones that violated its airspace during an overnight attack aimed at Ukraine.It reiterated the claim made by the Russian military that it had not targeted Poland and that its drones have a range of 700 kilometers.“These concrete facts fully debunk the myths once again being spread by Poland to further escalate the Ukraine crisis,” said the Russian foreign ministry.“Poland has failed to provide evidence of the Russian origin of the objects that entered Polish airspace,” the Russian embassy was quoted as saying by AFP. Also read: What is Nato’s Article 4 and what does it meanPoland said on Wednesday that over 10 objects entered its territory, accounting for 19 breaches, over the course of many hours before being shot down with assistance from the Nato alliance, describing the incursion as an act of aggression and “not accidental.”In response, Poland invoked Nato’s Article 4, calling for allied consultations on its security. The clause allows any member state to request talks if it sees a threat to its territory or independence.Prime minister Donald Tuck said Poland is now closer to open conflict than at any time since World War II. “I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed… This situation brings us the closest… since World War Two,” he said to the parliament. Polish airspace has been breached repeatedly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but nothing of this magnitude has occurred in Poland or elsewhere on Nato territory.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as an “extremely dangerous precedent for Europe” and urged that Russia “feel the consequences.”“Moscow always tests the limits of what is possible and, if it does not encounter a strong response, remains at a new level of escalation,” he said. “Not just one Shahed (drone), which could be dismissed as an accident, but at least eight attack drones that were aimed in the direction of Poland.”The incident occurred as Russia launched a series of strikes across Ukraine, targeting cities including Lviv in the west.Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 415 strike and decoy drones, 42 cruise missiles, and one ballistic missile overnight. Ukrainian air defences intercepted or jammed 386 drones and 27 missiles.One person was killed, at least five were injured, and several homes and businesses were damaged, as per local officials.Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry claimed it had shot down 122 Ukrainian drones across various Russian regions, including over Crimea and the Black Sea.
