Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine

Donald Tusk says operation was launched after ‘repeated violations of Polish airspace’

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Poland scrambled its own and Nato air defences to shoot down drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday during a Russian attack on Ukraine in what the Polish army called an “act of aggression” as Warsaw got involved in the war in its neighbouring country for the first time.

The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said early on Thursday that operations were continuing and that he was in “constant contact” with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte. Tusk called for an emergency meeting of the council of ministers at 8am local time, a government spokesman said.