GENEVA, September 12. /TASS/. The recent violation of Polish airspace by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles may represent a coordinated provocation by Ukraine with support from certain Western intelligence services, Guy Mettan, a deputy in the Geneva Cantonal Parliament, told TASS.
He emphasized that while official investigations are pending, the incident bears hallmarks of a staged operation aimed at influencing Western policy toward Russia.
According to Mettan, the primary goal of such a provocation would be to pressure US President Donald Trump into imposing additional sanctions on Russia and to rally European public opinion behind continued military support for Ukraine. He noted that the timing coincides with internal challenges in several key European nations, including political turmoil in France, social unrest in the United Kingdom and economic difficulties in Germany.
The Swiss parliamentarian also drew parallels with previous incidents, such as the 2022 missile strike in Kramatorsk, which initially sparked widespread accusations against Russia before later investigations often revealed more complex or contradictory narratives. Mettan pointed to inconsistent reporting around the Polish drone incident, noting discrepancies in the number of drones involved and uncertainty about their origin, with suggestions ranging from Belarus to Ukraine itself. He also highlighted that Polish and Baltic military officials had notably avoided directly blaming Russia, while accusations were instead led by Ukrainian sources and hawkish Western commentators.
Mettan predicted that, as with past incidents, initial sensational coverage in Western media would eventually give way to quieter clarifications exonerating Russia once public attention had shifted.
In the early hours of September 10, the Polish army reported downing several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that had invaded the country’s airspace. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that 19 UAVs had violated the country’s air borders, flying from Belarus, on the night of September 9-10. NATO, at the request of Poland, invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty to begin consultations among allies.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on Tuesday night, Russia attacked military enterprises in the Ivano-Frankovsk, Khmelnitsky, Zhitomir Regions, as well as in Vinnitsa and Lvov. No targets for destruction in Poland were planned, the ministry added. The range of the UAVs that allegedly crossed the border with Poland does not exceed 700 km. The Defense Ministry said it is ready for consultations with Poland on this topic.