Poland Moves to Scrap NATO, EU Approval for Shooting Down Russian Drones

• Warsaw plans to amend its laws to allow the military to strike Russian drones over Ukraine without NATO or EU consent.
• The change would reverse a 2022 amendment that required international approval for deployments abroad.
• The draft law, submitted in June, is expected to be fast-tracked, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.

Poland is preparing to give its armed forces the authority to down Russian drones and other aerial objects over Ukraine without waiting for NATO or EU approval, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.

The defense ministry submitted a draft amendment in June that would restore Warsaw’s ability to act independently under a “shoot first, ask later” principle. The proposal is expected to move quickly through parliament.

Currently, Polish forces can be deployed abroad only with presidential approval and, since 2022, the consent of NATO, the EU, and the host country. That rule was introduced a day before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, under the previous PiS government.

The Commission for Investigating Russian Influence has since criticized the restriction, arguing it weakened Poland’s ability to respond swiftly to threats, including drones crossing from Ukraine or Belarus.

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First Drone Shoot-Down

The proposed amendment comes weeks after Poland intercepted and destroyed suspected Russian drones that had entered its airspace in September — the first time a NATO member state directly shot down Russian assets since the war began.

Officials in Warsaw say the law change is vital to ensure the military can respond immediately to airborne threats, without waiting for multinational approval processes.

Poland, a frontline NATO member, has seen a sharp rise in drone-related incidents since the war in Ukraine escalated. Warsaw has repeatedly intercepted aerial objects believed to have originated from Russian or Belarusian territory. Officials argue that requiring international approval for every operation risk leaving Poland vulnerable at a time when Moscow is intensifying hybrid warfare tactics.

A senior Polish defense official, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza, said: “We cannot afford paralysis when drones threaten our security. Our forces must be able to respond instantly.”

The proposed law underscores Poland’s determination to assume greater control over its security policies, even as it remains anchored in NATO’s collective defense framework. If approved, it would mark a significant shift toward unilateral military action against Russian provocations.