DISINFO: The Western Party of War use the Polish drone incident to push Trump to escalation

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: The Western Party of War use the Polish drone incident to push Trump to escalation

SUMMARY

The Polish authorities have initiated another scandal with alleged “Russian drones” violating its airspace. Poland is seeking to escalate the situation in order to force Washington to supply more weapons, troops and funding. The Western “Party of War” is trying to use this incident to push Donald Trump to break his “Alaska agreements” with Vladimir Putin. Poland is trying to drag NATO into the conflict by accusing Russia of a “drone attack”.

RESPONSE

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative which accuses Ukraine, Poland and the “warmongering” West of staging an anti-Russian drone provocation in Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk officially confirmed that the drones entering Polish airspace on 9–10 September 2025 were Russian, during a large-scale Russian air assault on Ukraine. NATO leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, condemned the violation, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, confirming Russia’s responsibility.

The suggestion that the drone attack was staged disregards Russia’s long history of aggression against its neighbours. It fits the recognised pattern of Russian aggression and hybrid warfare targeting its neighbours, including previous unprovoked invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022, Georgia in 2008. Russian officials and state media have issued repeated threats against Europe and the US, alongside numerous cyberattacks, election interference, sabotage, espionage, and disinformation campaigns across Europe.

The range and capabilities of Russian drones used in the attack from 9th to 10th of September are documented, and official investigations support the conclusion that these drones originated from Russian-controlled territory. A high-ranking NATO official told the German newspaper WELT that they don’t believe that the drones entered NATO airspace by accident, but rather were deliberately sent there.

Repeated attempts to question Russia’s responsibility in such attacks follow a familiar pattern of disinformation that seeks to cast doubt on concrete violations of sovereignty.

On the peace initiatives: In July 2025, sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Vladimir Putin has no intention of reaching any peace agreement and intends to continue the war unless the West agrees to Russia’s terms, which include Ukraine’s surrender of its territory under Russian occupation and severely limiting its defence capabilities. Russia’s lack of interest in any real negotiation is also shown by the growing rate of air attacks against civilian infrastructures in Ukraine. Russia’s bombing patterns show a marked intensification of drone and missile attacks against Ukraine since the inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2025, including multiple spikes after diplomatic talks and contacts, which prove that Russia’s supposed embrace of peace negotiations is merely empty PR stunts deployed to garner support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

See other examples of similar disinformation narratives about alleged “anti-Russian” provocations here.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

    %s

      Your opinion matters!

      Data Protection Information *

        Subscribe to the Disinfo Review

        Your weekly update on pro-Kremlin disinformation

        Data Protection Information *

        The Disinformation Review is sent through Mailchimp.com. See Mailchimp’s privacy policy and find out more on how EEAS protects your personal data.

        🎵 Playlist