Kremlin refuses to comment on drone incident in Poland

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday refused to comment on Poland's accusations of a drone attack by Russia.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said the issue is within the purview of the Defense Ministry, and should any official commentary on the incident be issued, it would originate from the military service.

"We would not like to comment on this in any way. This is not our area of expertise. This is the prerogative of the Defense Ministry," he said.

Asked if the Polish leadership requested any contacts following the incident, Peskov said no such requests had been received by the Kremlin.

"The EU and NATO leaders accuse Russia of provocation on a daily basis. Most of the time, without even caring to present at least some kind of argument," he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed on Wednesday that some ten drones were shot down over Poland last night and referred to them as "Russian."

The Polish Foreign Ministry also summoned Russian embassy's Chargé d’Affaires Andrey Ordash in Warsaw to protest against what it called "Russian origin of the drones."

After visiting the ministry, the diplomat said Poland did not present any proof about the alleged Russian origin of the drones shot down over its territory.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko said Belarus informed Poland and Lithuania overnight about approaching drones near their borders. He also said that Poland warned Minsk about drones coming from Ukrainian territory.

Muraveiko emphasized that the Belarusian air defense system continuously tracked drones that deviated from their course due to electronic warfare measures, with some lost drones being destroyed by Belarusian air defenses in the skies.

In 2022, shells fell onto Polish territory near the border with Ukraine, killing two people. Initially, Warsaw claimed that these were Russian-made missiles. However, then-President Andrzej Duda later acknowledged that they were actually Ukrainian missiles fired to intercept Russian ones.

Turning to the plans of the "coalition of willing" to deploy military contingents in Ukraine, Peskov warned that sending any foreign troops to Ukraine could lead to dire consequences, but not all Western countries seem to grasp this reality.

"There are always countries that take an extremist stance, either failing or refusing to understand the terrible implications of such reckless actions. And there are other countries that much better comprehend the actual situation," he said.