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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial |
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ARTICLE VIEW: |
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NATO should impose no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian |
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drones, Poland says |
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By Tim Lister, Caitlin Danaher, CNN |
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Updated: |
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3:23 PM EDT, Mon September 15, 2025 |
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Source: CNN |
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Poland’s foreign minister has suggested that NATO states should |
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consider imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect the |
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alliance’s territory and people from Russian drones. |
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Radoslaw Sikorski’s remarks follow an intrusion last week by Russian |
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drones into Polish airspace. NATO fighter jets and air defenses shot |
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down the drones, which were not armed. |
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Speaking about extending such missions to Ukrainian airspace, Sikorski |
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told the German newspaper : “We as NATO and the EU could be capable |
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of doing this, but it is not a decision that Poland can make alone; it |
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can only be made with its allies.” |
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“Protection for our population – for example, from falling debris |
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– would naturally be greater if we could combat drones and other |
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flying objects beyond our national territory. |
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“If Ukraine were to ask us to shoot them down over its territory, |
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that would be advantageous for us. If you ask me personally, we should |
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consider it,” Sikorski added. |
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A Ukrainian no-fly zone, which was promoted by Ukrainian President |
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Volodymyr Zelensky soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, was discussed by |
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NATO allies during the Biden administration in 2022 but rejected for |
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fear that direct confrontation with Russian combat planes could broaden |
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the war. |
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Sikorski’s current proposal appears to be restricted to dealing with |
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Russian drones approaching Ukraine’s borders with NATO states. |
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A total of 16 drones were found throughout the country after last |
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Wednesday’s incursion, Poland’s interior ministry said intercepted |
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the drones, with assistance from Italian, German and NATO’s |
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multinational forces, officials said. |
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In response to the drone incursions, Poland’s NATO allies announced |
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an “Eastern Sentry” mission to defend the country’s airspace. On |
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Monday, the United Kingdom announced that its Royal Air Force will join |
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the mission. |
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“The UK’s commitment to helping NATO defend every inch of allied |
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territory is unshakeable,” the UK’s Ministry of Defense wrote on |
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its X account. |
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Sikorski told Frankfurter Allgemeine that it was no coincidence that so |
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many drones had suddenly appeared over Poland. |
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“Our air force repelled the threat for seven hours. So far, we have |
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heard two explanations from the Russian government: that the drones |
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accidentally flew over the border and that it is impossible for Russian |
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drones to fly that far at all.” |
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Russia’s defense ministry said last week that it had carried out a |
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strike against Ukraine overnight into Wednesday. It said that “no |
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targets on the territory of Poland were planned for destruction,” and |
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that the drones it used in Ukraine have a flight range of no more than |
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700 kilometers (435 miles). |
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In addition to the intrusion into Poland, just days later scrambled |
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fighter jets after a Russian drone breached its airspace on Saturday. |
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