Key facts
- Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed airports in Lublin and Rzeszow on Sept. 16, 2026, due to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.
- The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) announced the airport closures lasted 40 minutes.
- Air raid alerts were issued in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast, bordering Poland.
- Russia had previously launched drones on Sept. 13, 2026, near the Polish border, hitting a gas station and a passenger train.
- Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski called the incidents 'of the utmost seriousness' on Sept. 13, 2026.
- NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte described the strikes as demonstrating Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'desperation' on Sept. 14, 2026.
Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed its airports in Lublin and Rzeszow on the morning of September 16, 2026, as Russia conducted drone attacks against Ukraine. The Polish military stated the measures were a preventive step to protect Polish airspace, particularly in regions bordering Ukraine.
Around 7:00 a.m. local time, military aircraft took off, and air defense and radar reconnaissance systems were activated, according to Poland's Operational Command of the Armed Forces (DORSZ). Shortly after 8:00 a.m., DORSZ announced the operation had concluded. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) confirmed that flights at the Lublin and Rzeszow airports were suspended for approximately 40 minutes, resuming activity afterward.
Air raid alerts were also issued in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast, which borders Poland, between 6:46 a.m. and 7:16 a.m. on the same day.
This incident follows previous Russian drone strikes near the Polish border on September 13, 2026. Those attacks targeted a gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing and a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski stated on September 13 that these incidents were being treated with 'utmost seriousness.'
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte commented on September 14, 2026, that Russian drone strikes occurring 'close to NATO territory' demonstrated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 'desperation.'