War

A thousand two hundred ninety -sixth day. We took place a day after the invasion of Russian drones to the territory of NATO. Poland and Latvia close the airspace on the border with Russia and Belarus

Medusa from February 24, 2022 lives on the Russian-Ukrainian war on the air. In our daily materials, we publish your letters because we are sure: we must continue to talk about the war. What feelings do you experience because of the ongoing war? How does it affect you personally right now? How has your attitude to what is happening, towards Russia, Ukraine, to the world changed over these three years of the war? Look for a feedback form at the end of this article. The review of the previous day can be read here .

World

The invasion of about 20 Russian drones to the territory of Poland raised the question of NATO about whether the military alliance, founded more than 70 years ago during the Cold War, has the right and economically effective military structure in order to confront the drones, writes Reuters, who talked with experts.

According to NATO and Ukraine, the invasion of the Russian shock drones of Shahed and the Herbera drones, which often fly without a warhead, participated in the invasion. Reuters notes that NATO in Poland used F-35 and F-16 fighters, Mi-24, Mi-17 and Black Hawk helicopters, as well as Patriot air defense systems to reflect the invasion of “extremely cheap” drones. The operation was participated in military Poland, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

The Polish authorities noted that only drones who were dangerous were shot down. NATO believes that at least five drones were aimed at the Logistic Center at the Ushv Airport - one of the main transshipment points of weapons supply to Ukraine, the German edition of Der Spiegel said . According to him, the Dutch F-35 fighters tried to knock down precisely the drones flying towards Zheshuva.

According to Bild, F-35 fighters attacked Russian drones, which cost several thousand dollars, missiles of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, each of which costs 400 thousand euros. In total, according to Bild, the fighters shot down three out of 25 drones (another drone either shot down or he fell itself).

“This is a very good illustration that we should not only be vigilant, but also more determined in our actions,” the former ambassador of Slovakia to NATO Peter Bator told Reuters. He called the unacceptable that drones were able to penetrate the territory of the Alliance - this means that NATO did not hold back the threat.

Bator asked if it would be considered acceptable if foreign troops entered the alliance, as the drones did. “There is no much difference between drones and troops,” said Bator. He urged NATO to agree with Kiev that the allies could shoot down drones on the territory of Ukraine, which pose a danger to the alliance, before they enter the NATO airspace.

The analyst of the British International Institute for Strategic Research Fabian Khinz believes that Western air defense systems developed, not considering that inexpensive drones on a large scale could participate in attacks. According to Hinz, such drones can be shot down with fighters and helicopters, "but this requires a high pace of operations if the threat is constant."

According to the professor of strategic research at the University of Andrews in Scotland, Phillips P. O` Brain, the invasion of drones in Poland was "insignificant compared to the fact that Ukraine is experiencing every night." O'Brain believes that drones "should be identified as a possible threat much earlier and in advance to take defense measures." “For NATO, it was supposed to be a children's fun. May God help them if they are faced with 600 drones and missiles in one night, ”O` Brain said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, answering the question of journalists, whether the military alliance needs to be better off from drones, said: “Of course, we should always be one step ahead. But I think that last night [September 10] showed that we are able to protect every centimeter of NATO territory. ”

After the invasion of Russian drones, Poland asked the NATO allies to provide additional air defense systems and warning technologies, Bloomberg said , referring to sources.

France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Ukraine offered Poland “specific support of the air defense system of our country,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radoslav Sikorsky, in turn, said that the country needs additional Patriot systems in addition to the two available systems, "because drones are not the only form of the threat emanating from Russia in relation to our airspace."

The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands promised that by the end of 2025 it would provide Poland with two Patriot systems, means of combating drones and 300 military. Great Britain admits that he will return to Poland at least part of the six Typhoon fighters, who until recently were in Poland and patrolled the airspace as part of the NATO mission, writes Bloomberg. The Czech Republic promised to convey three Mi-171sh helicopters to fight drones.

A senior diplomat from the country included in NATO told Bloomberg that a large number of Russian drones crossing the Poland border indicates that the invasion of drones was intentional. Russia, making an attack, could strive to encourage NATO allies to increase the number of Patriot systems in Poland and, as a result, not send them to Ukraine, the agency writes.

According to Bloomberg, Poland allies will be difficult to put the country of the Patriot system. The Deputy Minister of Defense of Germany, Jens Pletnener, said that "now we all believe that, given the cruel attacks of the Russian military on Ukraine, it will be better if they are placed in Ukraine."

Against the backdrop of the invasion of Russian drones, Poland authorities limited flights in the east of the country on the border with Belarus and Ukraine "in order to ensure state security." The restrictions were introduced from September 10 to December 9, 2025, the Polish Aeronague Service Agency reported . In this zone, flights of civilian drones are prohibited around the clock, only military aircraft can fly at night, and in the afternoon those who notified the flight of Poland’s power, and emergency aircraft.

In addition, Poland is going to completely close the border with Belarus on the night of September 12. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the border is closed due to Russian-Belarusian military exercises “West 2025”, which will be held from September 12 to 16 in Belarus. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Poland Marcin Kervinsky said that the border was closed for an indefinite period, but the Polish side did not intend to "hold the border closed even one day without necessity."

At the same time, the Latvian Ministry of Defense announced that from the evening of September 11, the airspace on the border with Russia and Belarus. It will be closed at least until September 18, said the Minister of Defense of Latvia Andris Spruds.

According to the minister, so Latvia reacts to the fact that Russian drones flew into the territory of Poland. “Russian drones in NATO airspace are an alarming signal, and we must do our best to prevent the escalation of drones,” the minister said. At the same time, he noted that at present there is no direct threat to Latvia from Russia.

At the same time, the Diet of Latvia proposed to completely close the boundaries of Latvia with Belarus and Russia during the conduct of the West 2025 exercises. Such an offer was sent to the national security commission.

War through the eyes of readers "Medusa"

How do we choose letters

Readers "Medusa" live in different countries and treat war differently. We publish your letters to see this event with your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the position of the editorial office. However, in accordance with the Medusa Code, we do not publish messages that contain the “language of hatred”, the murder of civilians is justified, and direct support for an aggressive war is expressed.

Anna. We moved a family in the United States two months before the start of the war. A year later, 70-year-old parents of her husband came to us, who now live with us constantly. We have installed a Russian-speaking IP-television, but we immediately turned off all the propaganda channels, clearly realizing that the parents would watch them without looking up.

Every day my husband and I are discussing political news with parents. But even with our clear unchanging position in relation to the war and the absence of propaganda channels on TV, parents manage to find on YouTube and in the Tiktock of the Z-patriots-and regularly argue with us that this war is not meaningless and not destructive, and to convince us that it is about to end. Very often they tell how Ukrainians lose in the war, use the derogatory definitions of the inhabitants of the former Soviet republics, they say that the Russians built all the plants that they now use. This contemptuous attitude is not to the “Russians” amazing me. Such a deep, subconscious, recorded on the subcorta radical nationalism! And these people have been living in the most isolated environment from Russian programming for three years!

After one outright conversation, we came to the conclusion that it is very scary for them to admit that they are involved in a terrible, irreparable mistake. It is terrible and inconvenient to agree that people die there because of this mistake, fate is destroyed. It turns out that it’s easier to think that our business is right - and then you do not need to justify our beliefs and actions.

I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything ... And I do not want to see and hear anything. It is very painful that due to national fear and blindness, other nations suffer. Therefore, I believe that changes in Russia are impossible, the psychological attitudes of most people will have to be changed for decades, and maybe more. If you want to change them. I do not want my children to come back to Russia someday. There is no special path there, there is a free eternal fear. Fear of ourselves.

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