Q&A: Russian drones in Poland and what it means for Nato
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A major incident occurred on Ukraine’s doorstep this week when at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, four of which were shot down. Despite Russia’s insistence that it had no intention of striking targets inside Poland, this is nonetheless being considered a significant test both of the durability of Nato’s eastern flank, and the resolve of its member states to defend it.
To discuss the response to this incursion, Lucy and Vitaly are joined by BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and security correspondent Frank Gardner. They consider the prospect of escalation, and explain why western leaders feel they have to tread so carefully.
Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The executive producer was Lewis Vickers. The series producer is Chris Flynn. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480
You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.6 | It's 1,296 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:11.1 | And this week we saw a major incident right on Ukraine's doorstep |
| 0:14.6 | as at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. |
| 0:18.8 | It was a moment that the Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, described as the |
| 0:22.0 | closest that Poland has come to open conflict since World War II. The Defence Ministry in Moscow |
| 0:28.9 | says it had no plans to launch any specific attacks, with the Belarusian armed forces |
| 0:34.1 | blaming electronic jamming for throwing the drones off course. |
| 0:37.9 | But Poland's foreign minister, Redek Sikorsky, insisted it defied imagination to call these incursions |
| 0:44.0 | an accident. |
| 0:45.0 | This is a threat not only to Poland. This new technology of the mass use of drones is a threat |
| 0:51.7 | to all of the EU and NATO, and we need to face it together. |
| 0:55.4 | At a moment when events in the Middle East |
| 0:57.0 | are once again demanding US attention, |
| 0:59.4 | President Trump took the time to communicate his unease. |
| 1:03.5 | But we've had several commentators branding this a test for NATO. |
| 1:07.3 | So is he ready to take action? |
| 1:09.5 | As always, our team are here to answer all of your questions on this edition of Ukrainecast. |
| 1:15.5 | Ukraine cast from BBC News. |
| 1:18.1 | Life is not safe in Ukraine, nowhere in Ukraine. |
| 1:21.1 | We've had three years of bloody conflict now. |
| 1:23.1 | We need to get to that lasting peace. |
... |
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