Russia Violates NATO Airspace, With Liana Fix

The President’s Inbox

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News:politics, News

4.4 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Liana Fix, senior fellow for Europe at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Russia’s recent drone incursions into Polish airspace, and whether the move signals an expansion of the war in Ukraine. Mentioned on the Episode: Liana Fix and Erin D. Dumbacher, “Russia Tests NATO With Poland Drone Breach,” CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/russia-violates-nato-airspace-liana-fix

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, night, it's the night of September 9th.
0:05.0	The first of what may be as many as 23 Russian drones begin to cross into Polish airspace.
0:11.0	Polish and allied forces immediately scramble to repel the attack.
0:15.0	The drones turn out to be unarmed, but the incursion heightens tension between Russia and NATO.
0:20.0	This is a huge thing, right?
0:21.6	Because this is the first time in a very serious way that we have seen the war in Ukraine
0:26.6	extend into NATO territory because some of these drones were shot down by NATO planes.
0:30.6	Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland.
0:34.6	European leaders fear that Russia is testing NATO's military defenses and its resolve to help Ukraine
0:40.0	defend its sovereignty.
0:41.8	Those fears deepened when, shortly after this episode was recorded, three Russian fighter
0:47.0	jets penetrated Estonian airspace, once again forcing NATO to scramble to respond.
0:53.1	Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has invoked Article 4
0:55.7	at the NATO Charter, and Poland's foreign minister, Radislav Sikorsky, calls for NATO to impose a no-fly
1:01.8	zone over Ukraine. In response, the Kremlin says that NATO is already at war with Russia.
1:07.7	From the Council on Foreign Relations, welcome to the president's inbox. I'm your host,
1:12.3	Jim Lindsay, and I'm joined today by Leanna Fix, senior fellow for Europe, here at the council.
1:18.3	Leanna, welcome. Thank you so much, Jim. Let's dive right into it. Help me understand what happened
1:25.3	on the night of September 9th with this incursion of drones
1:28.9	into Polish airspace?
1:31.7	Yeah, absolutely, Jim.
1:33.1	So this was a big event.
	...

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