Several Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during the night of 9–10 September, prompting NATO jets to intervene. The event has fueled a wave of online disinformation aimed at sowing doubt about what happened, with pro-Russian narratives circulating across social media.
The Polish Security Bureau later disclosed that a drone over government buildings in Warsaw was neutralized on 15 September, intensifying the information battles online. In Wyryki-Wola, a village near Lublin, reports emerged that a house was damaged; some online posts argued this damage resulted from a storm rather than a drone strike. A notable post on X, accompanied by a Telegram channel, claimed the house had been “heavily damaged during a storm two months ago” and that the situation had not changed since then. This post attracted over 140,000 views and bore the sign-off “- FRWL” (From Russia with Love).
Other online voices, including a far-right TikTok advocate, dismissed the story as fake news. The Wesolowski family, owners of the affected house, told Reuters they were watching television when their home was hit. Initial media reports pointed to a drone impact; later explanations suggested debris from falling drones—while NATO and Polish forces were shooting them down—could also be responsible. The Lublin prosecutor’s office reportedly did not confirm whether the destruction was caused by a drone or fragments, and Polish reports cited a possibility that a missile from an F-16 could have struck the house, though authorities have not confirmed this.
Polish authorities have labeled the incursion a deliberate provocation designed to test NATO air defenses, with NATO caveating that Russia’s actions violated NATO airspace regardless of intent. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the incursion could have been a mistake was rejected by Poland. The Kremlin countered by accusing Warsaw of spreading myths about the incident in the broader Ukrainian crisis context.
Gerbera drones appear to have been used in part for the incursion, according to a Polish military official. A pro-Russian X account speculated that Gerbera drones are lightweight and capable of little damage, a claim contrasted by expert opinions. A senior researcher from Oxford explained that these drones can carry substantial payloads and can be deployed from mobile launch devices, such as a truck-mounted setup, using elastic or pneumatic catapults. Although they can saturate radar, they are not inexpensive to counter, with air-to-air missiles potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per interception relative to the drones’ modest production costs.
Fake claims of orchestration by Ukraine and Poland circulate online, suggesting a false-flag operation. A former Polish MEP, Korwin-Mikke, insinuated that Gerbera drones likely originated from Ukrainian territory, arguing that the drones’ stated maximum range could not be achieved from Russia. Polish officials have indicated some drones originated from Belarus. An expert noted that the operative range often differs from endurance, explaining how the stated range does not necessarily reflect mission duration. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejected claims of Ukraine’s involvement, asserting that Poland’s findings point to Russian responsibility for the airspace violation. This narrative feeds into a broader disinformation strategy seeking to shift blame away from Russia and to undermine Poland’s security actions.
Media coverage around 11 September noted that Poland planned to send military delegations to Ukraine for drone-related training; a day later, authorities clarified that Polish and Ukrainian personnel would collaborate on drone and anti-drone technologies on Polish soil. The Digital Affairs ministry emphasized that an information war led by Russian and Belarusian services aims to deflect responsibility for the incident onto Ukraine and to undermine Polish security services.
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