Putin Is Trying To Test Nato's Boundaries With His Latest Drone Move. What Happens Now?

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part, via videoconference in Sochi, Russia, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.Vladimir Putin seems to be testing Nato after Poland had to shoot down multiple threatening objects in its airspace overnight.Poland, as a member of the North Atlantic Defence Alliance, has tried to stay out of Russia’s attack on Ukraine but this moment risks drawing it directly into the conflict.Here’s what you need to know.What happened?After spotting more than 10 objects entering its airspace, Poland had to shoot down up to four drones on Wednesday night, as they reportedly posed a threat.While that might sound insignificant, that marks the first time a member of Nato is known to have fired shots during Russia’s three and a half year war against Ukraine.Polish residents have subsequently been urged to stay home, especially if they live in three eastern regions which are particularly at risk.This is not the first time Russia’s bordering nations have reported missiles or drones entering their airspace since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.Two people were killed during the first year of the conflict by a Ukrainian air defence missile which went astray in Poland.But, this is the first time quite so many objects have been spotted in another country’s airspace, suggesting it was intentional rather than a mistake.Europe has described it as an intentional incursion and a sign that the conflict is escalating.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used 415 drones and 40 missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine – and at least eight drones were aimed towards Poland.He described this as “an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe,” and called for a strong, “joint response by all partners: Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans, the United States.”These images from Poland show the aftermath of the Russian drones crossing the border into Poland.Several facts already point that their movement, the direction of the drones' flight was not accidental.It's not enough to acknowledge that the drones were Russian. It's… https://t.co/L9cYGaYYCspic.twitter.com/TB9ML5BJ2o— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 10, 2025How has Russia responded?Russian diplomats have rejected claims that it is a deliberate incursion, saying that’s a “groundless” accusation.It also alleged that Poland has not given any evidence the drones were from Russia.Russia – which currently occupies a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign land – has repeatedly insisted it has no plans to start a conflict with Nato.It insists that it only wants to demilitarise Ukraine and stop it from joining the defence alliance. Just last week, Putin shrugged off reports from Europe that he was planning to make more aggressive moves across the continent as “hysteria” and “complete nonsense”.But he is no stranger to denying the obvious: days before he invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian dictator played down concerns that his military drills were a sign of aggression, calling them “purely defensive” and “not a threat”.How has Europe reacted? Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said this was a “large-scale provocation”.He added: “We are ready to repel such provocations. The situation is serious and no one doubts that we must prepare for various scenarios.”He said: “The fact that these drones, which posed a security threat, were shot down changes the political situation.”“I have no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but a line has been crossed, and it’s incomparably more dangerous than before,” Tusk continued. “This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two.”His European allies are all behind him – UK prime minister Keir Starmer issued a statement saying: “This was an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of President Putin’s blatant disregard for peace, and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.”He added: “We will continue to ramp up the pressure on Putin until there is a just and lasting peace.”The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas has also made it clear the bloc stands with Poland – and that it believes this was an intentional, not accidental, move from Russia.Kallas wrote in a post on X: “Russia’s war is escalating, not ending. We must raise the cost on Moscow, strengthen support for Ukraine and invest in Europe’s defence.“The EU plays a major role and we will support initiatives like the Eastern Border Shield defence line.”French president Emmanuel Macron said the incursion was “simply unacceptable”.Last night in Poland, we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental.I am in contact with @SecGenNATO and @radeksikorski.The EU stands in full solidarity with Poland. (1/2)— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) September 10, 2025What might happen next?Tusk has activated article four of Nato’s treaty.That means alliance members can call for consultations with their allies.It’s different to article 5, which is the principle of mutual defence and would demand Nato allies prepare to retaliate on Poland’s behalf.While direct conflict is still unlikely, international pressure for Poland’s allies to tighten sanctions on Moscow is likely to build – especially as it’s increasingly clear US-led peace talks have failed.The US is yet to respond to the incident.However, Donald Trump did say over the weekend he was ready to move to the second phase of sanctioning Russia after months of talks over a peace deal.This would be significant, considering Trump has not taken coordinated steps with Europe towards the war since he returned to office.But his efforts to resolve the war have so far fallen flat.He has failed on his promise to end the war within 24 hours of being reinstated as president back in January, and was unable to get any concessions after inviting Putin to a very cosy summit in Alaska, so it might be time for a change of tactic.But just how far is the west willing to go to show Putin he has officially overstepped?Related...Keir Starmer Splits With Donald Trump On Whether Ukraine Should Be Allowed To Join NatoKyiv Hits Back After Nato Member's Call For Russia To Be Forgiven 'For Everything'Angela Rayner Calls Out Nato Chief For Dubbing Donald Trump 'Daddy'

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