Strana 42
Intentional or not?
None of the drones found in Poland carried
explosives. All, however, were equipped with
additional fuel tanks to extend their range.
That is an important detail. Russian officials
claimed (and Russian propaganda happily
spread this claim) that Gerbera drones have
a range of less than 700 km and could not have
reached Poland from Russia. Therefore, they
argued, Ukraine must have launched them
to draw NATO into war with Russia. Russian
officials and propaganda conveniently “forgot”
to mention the additional fuel tanks in the
drones.
Other Russian officials tacitly admitted the
drones were theirs, but categorically denied
they were launched into Poland intentionally.
Belarus also contributed to the version of an
unintentional incursion by warning Poland in
advance that stray drones were heading its
way. That was an exceptional step. Many drones
have previously ended up over Belarusian
territory after being disturbed by Ukrainian
electronic-warfare systems. Some were shot
down by Belarusian forces in the past, some
penetrated further into Poland or the Baltics.
However, a warning from Belarus came for the
first time. Warsaw politely thanked Minsk for
the warning but at the same time indicated it
believed the warning was an attempt to create
an alibi for later claims that the incursion was
not intentional. Polish officials publicly stated
that the incursion was a deliberate violation
of airspace by Russia. Previous single-drone
incursions could be considered accidents;
this time, however, around two dozen drones
entered Poland at once — which is hard to
regard as a mistake. Russia probably wanted
to test NATO’s response and also to collect
valuable electronic data during that response.
Shortly thereafter, a large exercise involving
Russian forces was beginning in Belarus, and
this incident could have been part of it.
NATO’s response
Subsequently, Russian drones also appeared
in Romanian airspace, and on Friday 19 Sept.
three Russian MiG-31 aircraft violated Estonian
airspace. They remained there for 12 minutes
and NATO fighters had to escort them out.
Both Estonia and, earlier, Poland requested
consultations under Article 4 of the North
Atlantic Treaty, meaning they asked member
states for consultations. In response NATO
launched Operation Eastern Sentry, intended
to increase protection of the alliance’s eastern
border.
Reinforcements from NATO member states
headed to Poland — Sweden sent Gripen
fighters, France sent three Rafale fighters, the
Netherlands deployed air-defence systems,
and the Czech Republic contributed three
Mi-171 helicopters. Ukraine decided to help
Poland with training on drone defence.
Unknown drones began to appear toward
the end of the covered period over Denmark,
Germany and other countries. NATO warned it
would use force against intruders — drones or
aircraft — and shoot them down if necessary.
The European Union likewise decided to
strengthen the defence of the eastern states
and create a so-called “drone wall” there.
Ukraine’s experience and technologies are to
help in building it.
One of the new technologies are so-called
drone interceptors — small drones designed to
destroy other drones. Their key characteristic
is high speed so they can quickly catch their
target. Several types exist and, where used,
they show promisingly high effectiveness, but
there are not yet as many of them as would be
needed. In the fight against Russian unmanned
systems, Ukraine therefore still has to rely on
conventional ground air defence and airborne
assets. In this series we have described the
deployment of fighters and also light training,
sport and agricultural aircraft against drones.
Now we will take a closer look at helicopters.
Helicopters with dozens of „kills“
Helicopters are beginning to appear as one
of the most effective weapons against drones.
This is evidenced by the score markings seen in
many photographs. On the sides of helicopters
are dozens of silhouettes of Shahed drones, as
well as heavier reconnaissance drones that
An F-35 marked F-027 from the 313th Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, with a marking of a shot down drone.
Ex-Czech Mi-24 helicopters bearing numerous kill markings.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard42
November 2025