12.09.2025 23:51
NATO has made a new decision to strengthen defenses on the eastern flank of Europe in response to Russia's violation of Polish airspace with drones. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that they have launched a new initiative called "Eastern Sentry" in collaboration with allied countries.
NATO has made a new decision to strengthen defenses on the eastern flank of Europe in response to Russia's violation of Polish airspace with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
NATO'S "EASTERN SENTRY" OPERATION NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in a joint statement with U.S. General Alexus Grynkewich at a press conference held at NATO headquarters in Brussels, stated, "As NATO, we must clearly demonstrate our determination and capability to protect our territories, and the 'Eastern Sentry' operation aims exactly at that. This military activity will take place in the coming days and will include elements from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, as well as various allies," he said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte F-16, RAFALE, AND EUROFIGHTER FIGHTER JETS WILL PARTICIPATE Rutte did not provide information on how many additional elements NATO would deploy in Eastern Europe, where it already has a significant number of military assets, but noted that the number of additional military elements to be assigned would be limited. These include 2 F-16 fighter jets and a frigate from Denmark, 3 Rafale fighter jets from France, and 4 Eurofighter fighter jets from Germany.
WAS RUSSIA'S VIOLATION INTENTIONAL? Secretary General Rutte also reported that investigations into Russia's airspace violation and the motives behind it are still ongoing. Rutte reiterated his characterization of Russia's activity, which is debated as to whether it was intentional, as "reckless and unacceptable."
"THE PEOPLE OF POLAND AND ALLIED COUNTRIES SHOULD FEEL SAFE" U.S. General Grynkewich stated that the Eastern Sentry operation would be a flexible and integrated activity along NATO's eastern flank, extending from the northern Baltic countries to Romania and Bulgaria in the south. Grynkewich emphasized that the operation is about adopting a more flexible approach to defend the entire eastern flank rather than relying solely on fixed units deployed in a specific area. The U.S. General also stated, "The people of Poland and allied countries should feel safe thanks to our rapid intervention earlier this week and the announcement we are making here today."
U.S. General Grynkewich WHAT HAPPENED? Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) violated Polish airspace last Wednesday night. In a statement from the Polish Armed Forces Operations Command, it was reported that "UAVs belonging to Russia, which repeatedly violated Polish airspace during Russia's nighttime attack on Ukraine, were shot down." The statement also noted, "We witnessed an unprecedented scale of airspace violation. This is an act of aggression that threatens the safety of our citizens."
As part of NATO's mission, a transport and refueling aircraft, the Airbus A330, from the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and an AWACS aircraft from the Italian Air Force took off from Eindhoven and Estonia, respectively, to conduct patrol flights over Polish airspace throughout the night. It was also reported that a U.S. F-35 fighter jet was on patrol over Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland.
"THE UAV ATTACK WAS NOT A MISTAKE" In a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense, it was claimed that the UAVs targeted Ukraine, not Poland, and that the airspace violation was not carried out intentionally. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejected Russia's statements, saying, "We would have preferred the UAV attack on Poland to be a mistake. But it was not a mistake. We know that."