Poland invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in response to the violation of its airspace by drones, and NATO immediately acceded to the request. This action followed an unprecedented incident in which, allegedly, Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on western Ukraine.

The Polish armed forces described the incident as a "provocation" and shot down four of the drones. The incident occurred from midnight to 6:30 AM, causing damage to civilian property – including damage to a family home in the village of Wyryki-Wola – and temporarily closing Warsaw's airport, affecting thousands of travelers. There were no casualties.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk immediately requested the invocation of Article 4 in a speech before parliament. "Article 4 is just the beginning for deeper cooperation on the security of our sky and our border, which is the border of NATO," he added. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski summarized the situation: "When one or two drones stray off course, it might be a mistake, but 19 violations cannot be explained by chance."

NATO responded swiftly: Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the activation and convened an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council. "We are in close consultation with Poland and our allies. This incident poses a serious threat," Rutte said in a statement on the NATO website. "Whether it was intentional or not, it is absolutely reckless and dangerous. But last night showed that we are capable of defending every inch of NATO territory, including its airspace."

In response, fighter jets from the Netherlands (F-35), Sweden (Gripen), and Italy were deployed to secure the airspace. German Patriot systems were put on alert, and allies, including the United Kingdom and Germany, expressed full solidarity.

British Defense Secretary John Healey described the incident as "dangerous and unprecedented" and ordered a review of the defense posture over Poland.

Article 4, enshrined in the Washington Treaty of 1949, obligates member states to mutual consultation "whenever it deems that there exists a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties."

Unlike Article 5, which triggers collective defense in the event of an armed attack, Article 4 allows for discussion and coordination of measures, such as strengthening defenses or sharing information, without requiring military action. It has been invoked seven times since the creation of NATO, most recently in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This mechanism is used to prevent escalation. For example, in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea, Poland invoked consultations, which led to the deployment of NATO rotating forces in Eastern Europe. In 2012, Turkey invoked Article 4 after Syrian shelling, which resulted in the deployment of Patriot systems. As former Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "Article 4 is a tool for dialogue that allows us to respond to threats before they become crises."

Russia denies the incident: The Ministry of Defense claims that the drones had a range of 700 km and were only targeting Ukraine (Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk). Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "coincidence" and denied any provocation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned: "This sets a dangerous precedent for Europe" and offered data from his radar systems.