• Drone crashes into pensioner’s house in eastern Polish village.
• Polish premier says it was closest they’ve been to open conflict.
• Nato chief calls incident absolutely reckless, dangerous.
  

Poland shot down suspected Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday with the backing of military aircraft from its Nato allies, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament it was “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two”, although he also said he had “no reason to believe we’re on the brink of war”.

Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS surveillance planes and Nato mid-air refuelling aircraft scrambled in an operation to shoot down drones that began entering Polish airspace on Tuesday evening and kept coming until morning, officials said.

One drone smashed into Tomasz Wesolowski’s two-storey brick house in the eastern Polish village of Wyryki-Wola at 6:30am while he was downstairs watching news about the incursion on TV.

The roof was destroyed and debris was strewn across the bedroom. Wesolowski told Reuters the house “needs to be demolished”.

A blackened spot in a black field elsewhere in southeastern Poland showed where other drones had fallen.

Moscow denied responsibility for the incident, with a senior diplomat in Poland saying the drones had come from the direction of Ukraine. Russia’s defence ministry said its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine but it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.

The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Canada were among Nato leaders to condemn the Russian incursion in strong terms.

There was no immediate statement from Washington. The US Air Force general serving as the top Nato commander, Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance had “responded quickly and decisively to the situation, demonstrating our capability and resolve to defend allied territory”.

European leaders, who have lately been trying to persuade US President Donald Trump to join them in tightening sanctions on Russia and boosting support for Kyiv, said it justified a collective response.

Poland said 19 objects had entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine, and that it had shot down those that posed a threat.

Tusk called the incident a “large-scale provocation” and said he had activated Article Four of Nato’s treaty, under which alliance members can demand consultations with their allies.

Andrey Ordash, Russia’s charge d’affaires in Poland, was cited by RIA state news agency as calling accusations of an incursion “groundless” and said Poland had not given any evidence that the drones shot down were of Russian origin.

The Kremlin declined to comment directly on the incident but spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the EU and Nato “accuse Russia of provocations on a daily basis. Most of the time without even trying to present at least some kind of argument.”

During the incident, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces urged residents to stay at home, with three eastern regions at particular risk.

Several Polish airports were temporarily closed, including one that has been used as the main access point for Western officials and supplies travelling to Ukraine over land.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said that a full assessment of the incident had not yet been made but added that, “whether it was intentionally or not, it is absolutely reckless, it is absolutely dangerous.” 

Countries bordering Ukraine have reported occasional Russian missiles or drones entering their airspace in the past during the war, but not on such a large scale, and they are not known to have shot them down. Two people were killed in Poland in 2022 by a Ukrainian air defence missile that went astray.

Since Nato’s creation in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked seven times, most recently in February 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

EU calls for action

“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’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

Early indications suggested the entry of Russian drones into European airspace was intentional, not accidental, she added in her post on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia used 415 drones and 40 missiles in attacks on Ukraine overnight, adding that at least eight Iranian-made shahed drones had been aimed towards Poland.

“An extremely dangerous precedent for Europe,” he said. “A strong response is needed – and it can only be a joint response by all partners: Ukraine, Poland, all Europeans, the United States.”

Russia has long said it has no intention of stoking a war with Nato and that Western European countries suggesting it is a threat were trying to worsen relations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for more sanctions on Russia, and said the EU was preparing sanctions on ‘shadow fleet’ tankers that transport its oil and third countries that buy it.

Trump, who warmly welcomed Putin in Alaska at a summit in August, said over the weekend he was ready to move to a second phase of sanctioning Russia after months of talks about a peace deal.

A knife attacker in the southern French city of Antibes wounded a teacher and a student at a horticultural college Wednesday, police said, the latest attack to hit an educational establishment in the country.

The victims are a 16-year-old student and a 52-year-old teacher, who was seriously injured, officials said, adding their lives were not in danger.

“Thank you to the national and municipal police, as well as the fire brigade, for their rapid response and exemplary commitment in this extremely tense situation, symbolic of the tragic rise in violence in our country,” Eric Pauget, a lawmaker who represents Antibes, posted on X.

France has seen several knife attacks on teachers and students in recent years.

Last week, a teacher was wounded by a colleague who stabbed him twice during an altercation in the staff room of a high school in Martigues, northwest of the southern port city of Marseille.

In June, a 14-year-old secondary school student stabbed to death a 31-year-old teaching assistant in the eastern town of Nogent.

In April, a student killed a 15-year-old girl and wounded three other people at a college in the western city of Nantes.

In March, police began carrying out random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools.

Contacted by AFP, the education ministry did not immediately comment.

Armed soldiers stood guard outside Nepal’s parliament on Wednesday as streets remained deserted under an indefinite curfew in Kathmandu, following two days of deadly anti-corruption protests that led Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.

The worst upheaval in decades in the poor Himalayan nation was unleashed by a social media ban announced last week, but rolled back after 19 people died on Monday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to control crowds.

Burnt vehicles and twisted metal heaps littered the area around parliament, where army firefighters battled to douse a blaze in the main hall, while the exterior was charred after angry protesters set it ablaze on Tuesday.

“We are trying to normalise the situation first,” army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said. “We are committed to protecting the life and property of people.”

Armoured vehicles kept vigil in streets deserted except for a few strollers, with shops and markets shut.

Several other government buildings, from the supreme court to ministers’ homes, including Oli’s private residence, were also set ablaze in Tuesday’s protests, with the unrest subsiding only after the resignation.

Nepali army soldiers clear debris from a road near the Singha Durbar office complex following protests in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday. – Reuters

Flights were disrupted, with the main airport in Kathmandu shut until 6pm, an airport spokesperson said.

TALKS TO DEFUSE CRISIS

In an appeal on X, the army said prohibitory orders would stay until Thursday morning, adding that relevant parties were coordinating to tackle the situation after the protest and resolve the issue.

Media also said preparations were being made for authorities and protesters to hold talks, without giving details. Reuters could not independently confirm the information.

Former Supreme Court judge Balaram K.C. urged the protesters to set up a negotiation team, with the army helping to maintain law and order, and called for fresh elections.

“Parliament should be dissolved and fresh elections held,” the constitutional expert told Reuters. “They should discuss forming the next caretaker government.”

Charred remains of a Nepal Police vehicle sit inside the Parliament house, which was set on fire by protesters in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday. – Reuters

Most of the protesters were young people voicing frustration at the government’s perceived failure to fight corruption and boost economic opportunities.

For years, a lack of jobs has driven millions to seek work in countries such as Malaysia, the Middle East and South Korea, mainly on construction sites, so as to send money home.

Members of the media stand in front of the Parliament house, which was set on fire by protesters in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday. – Reuters

Wedged between India and China, Nepal has struggled with political and economic instability since protests led to the abolition of its monarchy in 2008.

India’s security cabinet also met late on Tuesday to discuss the situation in its neighbour.

Members of the media walk inside the Parliament house, which was set on fire by protesters in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday. – Reuters

“Nepal’s stability, peace, and prosperity are of utmost importance,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X later.

“I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to maintain peace and order.”