If Vladimir Putin’s intention was to use an early-morning drone foray into Poland to test Nato’s air defences, the Russian president would be most pleased with the result. And, experts warn, he will probably be encouraged to go further next time.
The incursion into Polish airspace prompted Nato fighter jets to take to the skies and shoot down some of the projectiles — the first time the US-led military alliance has engaged directly with the Russian armed forces since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It marks a dangerous new chapter in the more than three-and-a-half-year-long conflict.
But, officials, defence experts and analysts say, it also will have shown just how unprepared Europe is for the type of mass air assault that Russia inflicts on Ukraine almost every night, laying bare the scale of the investment needed to shore up Nato’s eastern flank.