Poland Shut Lublin and Rzeszow Airports During Russian Strikes Near Border

Polish authorities temporarily closed the airports at Lublin and Rzeszow as Russian strikes targeted parts of Ukraine near the Polish border, according to Polish officials. The closures came as European intelligence officials, the CIA, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned in recent days that Moscow may go as far as launching an air attack in some form on NATO territory in the coming months.

Key facts

• Poland's Lublin and Rzeszow airports were temporarily closed during Russian strikes near the Ukrainian border with Poland.
• On 13 September, a drone exploded 800 metres from Ukraine's Yahodyn border crossing with Poland, and another attack drone struck a Warsaw-bound passenger train at a Ukrainian station nearby.
• Three Russian jet fighters violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes last year before being escorted into international skies.
• US President Donald Trump said Washington and Warsaw were making major progress toward a permanent US Army base in Poland.
• Estonian and Latvian officials say they have seen no Russian force buildup near their borders.

What is being warned about?

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, speaking at United Nations headquarters on 21 September, said Russia's campaign against Europe is already under way in the form of provocations, sabotage and tests, rather than conventional war. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) describes the attacks attributed to Russia as a coordinated series of kinetic campaigns, including arson, assassination plans and sabotage of infrastructure such as railway vandalism and electronic interference.

Moscow consistently denies involvement in the sabotage operations attributed to it by European governments. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also warned that Russia could conduct drone or missile attacks against NATO countries supporting Ukraine while presenting them as accidents, an assessment he said was based on intelligence from NATO, Ukraine and the United States.

What has already disrupted travel?

Polish authorities temporarily closed the airports in Lublin and Rzeszow after Russian strikes hit parts of Ukraine near the Polish border, Polish officials said. That closure came a day before Trump announced progress on a permanent US Army base in Poland, which could expand the American military presence on NATO's eastern flank.

On 13 September, a drone exploded 800 metres from Ukraine's Yahodyn border crossing with Poland, and on the same day another attack drone struck a Warsaw-bound passenger train at a Ukrainian station nearby. In an earlier incident, three Russian jet fighters entered Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes, according to Estonian officials; the pilots acknowledged but disregarded communication from two Italian pilots in F-35 jets scrambled from NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission at Amari Air Base in Estonia before being escorted into international skies.

Are there signs of a wider buildup?

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said there are rumours of a full-scale Russian operation against the Baltic states or Poland, but added that there are "no serious military movements" across the border. The ISW said on 21 September that Estonia and Latvia have reported no evidence of the kind of Russian force buildup needed for a full-scale invasion, while cautioning that scenarios for Russian action have not been analysed in enough detail.

One scenario under discussion, the so-called Narva scenario, describes a hypothetical hybrid attack on a NATO country resembling the initial phase of the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea. Narva is a small city on Estonia's border with Russia with a sizeable Russian population.

What contingency planning is under way?

Officials from NATO and EU capitals have ramped up efforts to draw up contingency plans. Diplomats with knowledge of EU and NATO preparedness planning declined to give concrete examples, saying the information was classified. One Central European official acknowledged informal working-level discussions about logistics if the Baltic states and Poland were attacked, but said there are no official guidelines or real preparations in place. A NATO official said the alliance holds members' national defence plans, which are top secret but cover all types of war scenarios.

What this means for travellers

Travellers using airports in eastern Poland, including Lublin and Rzeszow, have already faced temporary closures linked to strikes near the Ukrainian border, so flight status should be checked before departure. Anyone travelling near Ukraine's western border crossings, including Yahodyn, should be aware that strikes have been reported close to crossings and rail services.

No new travel restrictions have been announced in the source. The immediate focus is on whether the contingency discussions among NATO and EU capitals produce any formal measures.