NATO has launched an operation to counter Russia’s air incursions in Alliance territory.
Secretary-General Mark Rutte and United States Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, U.S. European Command Commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, announced Eastern Sentry in response to Russia’s September 2025 drone incursion into Poland’s airspace.
“This military activity will commence in the coming days and will involve a range of assets from Allies, including Denmark, France, [the] United Kingdom, Germany and others,” Rutte said during a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The operation also will feature elements designed to address challenges associated with the use of drones, he said. “Eastern Sentry will add flexibility and strength to our posture. And make clear that, as a defensive Alliance, we are always ready to defend.”
Warsaw said 21 Russian drones entered its airspace on the night of September 9-10. Poland responded to Russia’s drones with F-16 fighter jets, accompanied by Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS surveillance planes and NATO refueling aircraft, Reuters reported. Poland downed several of the drones, according to media reports. It was the first time a NATO member is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I am incredibly proud of our response. It was decisive, and it was effective,” Gen. Grynkewich said during the news conference. “It speaks to the capability and professionalism of 32 Allies working together.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament the incursion was “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II,” according to Reuters.
In response to Russia’s actions, Poland invoked NATO’s Article 4, which calls for Allies to hold consultations but does not automatically trigger collective defense.
Eastern Sentry’s key components include integrated and layered air- and ground-based defenses and enhanced information sharing among Allies, Gen. Grynkewich said.
“Although the immediacy of our focus is on Poland, this situation transcends the borders of one nation,” he said. “What affects one Ally affects us all. This is an issue that impacts all of the Alliance, and we will treat it as such.”
“While this was the largest concentration of violations of NATO airspace that we have seen, what happened … was not an isolated incident,” Rutte said. “Russia’s recklessness in the air along our eastern flank is increasing in frequency. We have seen drones violate our airspace in Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Whether intentional or not, it is dangerous — and unacceptable.”
Just hours after NATO’s announcement, a French Rafale jet and Polish helicopter responded to reports that a drone had entered Romanian airspace along that country’s border with Ukraine, the BBC reported. The following week, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace via the Gulf of Finland, the website Politico reported. NATO countered with Italian F-35s.
Eastern Sentry follows Baltic Sentry, which NATO announced in January 2025 to protect undersea cables and infrastructure in the Baltic Sea after Finnish authorities seized a Russia-affiliated vessel they believed caused extensive damage to an electricity cable along the seafloor of the Gulf of Finland. In August 2025, Finnish authorities charged the captain and two senior officers of the vessel with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications, The Associated Press reported.
NATO’s Allied Command Transformation, which works to rapidly develop and field new technologies including counterdrone systems, will support Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry, Gen. Grynkewich said.
“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. “NATO will continue to defend every inch of its territory.”