Saturday 13 / September / 2025
Brussels: NATO chief Mark Rutte announced on Friday that the alliance is launching a new operation, "Eastern Sentry," to protect its eastern flank in response to Russian drones entering Polish airspace.
"Our assessment of the incidents on Wednesday is ongoing and whether or not Russia's actions were deliberate, Russia violated NATO airspace," Rutte said about the incident.
"Whether intentional or not, it is dangerous and unacceptable," he added.
Rutte said that the Russian drone incursion in Poland on Wednesday was the most significant violation of NATO airspace, though not the first. Similar violations have occurred in Estonia, Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The new mission is set to involve a range of assets integrating air and ground bases. It will involve "allies, including Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Germany, and others," Rutte said.
Speaking alongside Rutte, NATO's top commander, Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance would defend every inch of its territory.
"Poland and citizens from across the Alliance should be assured by our rapid response earlier this week and our significant announcement here today," he said.
Grynkewich said Eastern Sentry was designed to be a flexible operation that would strengthen defenses along NATO's entire eastern flank. This area extends from Finland and the Baltic states in the north to Romania and Bulgaria in the south.
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Britain confirms its involvement
The United Kingdom confirmed its involvement in bolstering the initiative.
"The UK is fully committed to playing our part in NATO's Eastern Sentry following the reckless and dangerous airspace violations by Russia," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said.
NATO already has a significant presence of troops in Eastern Europe. However, the alliance did not specify how many additional troops would be involved in the new operation.
