Poland is drawing on Ukraine’s expertise in battle-tested drone warfare, establishing joint military training programmes and manufacturing projects, officials from Warsaw and Kyiv announced on Thursday, just over a week after Russian drones entered Polish airspace and exposed Nato’s vulnerability to a new generation of uncrewed systems.
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Drones used for defence and attack have taken a central battlefield role in the more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, transforming how wars are waged, and countries are keen to master the new and quickly developing battlefield technology.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said he and his visiting Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a memorandum to create a joint working group for uncrewed systems.
The neighbours will jointly test new methods of intercepting drones, exchange military experience in the field of drone warfare, and work to ensure more compatibility between the Ukrainian and Polish armed forces, Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.
Last week’s Russian incursion into Poland, which caused Nato to send fighter jets to shoot down the drones, heightened tensions in Eastern Europe about Moscow’s territorial ambitions. The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued despite months of US efforts to stop it, including a US-Russia summit meeting in Alaska.
Poland shoots down Russian drones
Poland shoots down Russian drones
Nato announced it was strengthening its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Moscow, meanwhile, showcased its conventional and nuclear military power in long-planned exercises with Belarus that fuelled Western concerns about Russia’s intentions.