KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Poland is drawing on Ukraine’s expertise in battle-tested drone warfare, establishing joint military training programs and manufacturing projects, officials from Warsaw and Kyiv announced Thursday, just over a week after Russian drones entered Polish airspace and exposed NATO’s vulnerability to a new generation of uncrewed systems.
Drones used for defense and attack have taken a central battlefield role in the more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, transforming how wars are waged, and countries are keen to master the new and quickly developing battlefield technology.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said he and his visiting Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a memorandum to create a joint working group for uncrewed systems.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said Thursday in Warsaw that over the previous night there was “increased activity of Belarusian and Russian drones which tried to cross into Polish airspace.” None of the drones made it, but he said the border will stay closed until Poland is sure there will be no further provocations.
