site.btaBulgaria Condemns Drones Violating Poland's Airspace

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said in a post on X that Bulgaria is united in full solidarity with its ally Poland. The repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russia are a threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Such actions will be met with decisive measures to defend the Alliance, the Ministry added.

Using aerial vehicles in another country’s airspace is a gross violation of international law, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told the parliamentary Defence Committee on Wednesday.

He commented on the incident in which Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during Russia’s overnight attack on Western Ukraine. Zapryanov described Russia’s actions as a provocation and recalled that the airspace of NATO member states is part of the Alliance’s common airspace.

“This is not a direct attack against targets on Polish territory. If it were, Article 5 would have been triggered, escalating the situation towards collective defence. In this case, the assessment is that the drones were used for strikes on Ukrainian territory. This does not in any way give Russia the right to violate airspace or to enter Ukraine from the territory of other states,” Zapryanov said.

He noted that Romania is also facing issues with Russian drones near the Danube Delta.

“NATO is taking the necessary measures. They are clear: military force will be used against such aircraft, and they will be shot down. This worsens security regarding airspace, and Poland rightly closed airports to ensure the safety of civil aviation. These targets are uncontrolled, outside air traffic management, and could cause incidents with civilian flights,” he added.

Zapryanov stressed that Bulgaria also monitors its airspace and is ready to respond with its own forces and those of its allies.

Poland said it had activated both its own and NATO’s air defence assets to shoot down drones that entered its airspace after the Russian strike on Western Ukraine, Reuters reported. This was the first time Poland resorted to the use of weapons against objects violating its airspace, the agency noted.