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This latest assault marks the first direct encounter between NATO and Russia since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, around 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, which Warsaw described as a deliberate provocation. NATO jets intercepted several of these drones, highlighting the growing frequency of such incursions.
Other incidents over Romania and the Baltic states have prompted emergency NATO intercepts, but so far, none have triggered Article 5 of the NATO treaty—that any attack on one member constitutes an attack on all. The persistent nature of these threats, however, keeps the alliance on edge.