Polish armed forces say Russian drones have been 'downed' - the first time the Nato country has directly engaged Russian assets in its airspace since the Ukraine war started in 2022
Polish and Nato aircraft were deployed, with authorities saying they began operations in Polish airspace early on Wednesday morning
The country's prime minister, Donald Tusk, who was at the scene of the operations, tweeted that an operation "related to multiple violations of Polish airspace" was under way
The scale of the incursion by Russian drones is new territory for Poland - and for Nato, our correspondent in Kyiv writes
Poland also shut down four airports as reports of the objects first emerged
An extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held in the next hour.
A spokesperson from the Polish goverenment says the meeting will take place at 8am local time (7am BST), adding that Polish PM Donald Tusk is already meeting with ministers responsible for state security.
The time is now 7am in Warsaw, or 6am BST. If you're just joining us, here's what's been happening overnight:
Image source, EPAPolish President Karol Nawrocki says he will soon lead another briefing at the National Seucrity Bureau which will also be attended by the PM Donald Tusk.
But he's made clear this morning that Russia's threat now calls for "close cooperation".
"The security of our homeland is our highest priority and requires close cooperation," the president says.
Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent, reporting from Kyiv
This happened during the latest Russian attack across Ukraine, where the air raid began before midnight, with warnings of at least 100 drones in the air - and of Russia preparing missiles for launch.
Then, as Ukrainians took to shelters underground, the online channels that they watched began reporting several of those drones crossing into Poland.
They began writing in Polish, warning people there to take cover. “Chelm – to the shelters!” , “Zamosc – into the shelters!”
This feels like an escalation by Moscow - testing the West’s response. Because it appears its drones didn’t just stray into Poland.
They went deep enough for even Warsaw airport to be closed.
And it’s happening as the aerial attacks on Ukraine have become far bigger - and more frequent.
Then last weekend, a Russian missile hit the main government building here. Before that, the EU and British Council buildings in Kyiv were damaged.
Russian drones have crossed Ukraine’s western border before. A Russian missile even landed in a forest once, but didn’t detonate.
In 2022, two villagers were killed close to the border, apparently after Ukrainian air defence downed a missile. So the Polish air force now scrambles, whenever the threat gets close.
But they’ve never shot anything down before. So this is new territory for Poland – and for Nato.
In another update posted to X, Polish PM Donald Tusk says he has briefed Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on the situation as well as the action that Poland has taken against "the objects that have violated our airspace".
"We are in constant contact."
Poland is a member state of the Nato security alliance - which ties the US and many European nations together on collective defence.
Nato's operation in Poland is led by the US military.
We've had another update from the Polish army's operational command.
"As a result of the attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drone-type objects."
In a post on social media X, the command said the drones that entered Polish airspace "posed a real threat" to the safety of Polish citizens.
According to the post, when drones entered the airspace they were shot down, and efforts are now underway to locate the potential crash sites of the "objects".
"Polish and allied forces and assets remain fully prepared for further operations," they write.
It's hard to imagine the latest Russsian drones' incursion in Polish airspace is a mistake, says Jim Townsend, who is a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense.
"One drone is a mistake, multiple drones is not a mistake," he tells BBC's Newsday.
"We’ve got to have more time for Poland to figure out what they are finding and see what their views are.
"But this is more than likely a test - this is a test that Nato has to answer," he adds.
Townsend says it's good news that Poland and Nato seem to be on top of the situation. "They are picked up on Polish radar and Nato scrambled.
"Now is the political side of Nato that is on the hot seat to make sure the response from the alliance is appropriate."
As more details about the drone attacks in Polish airspace emerge, Russian strikes continue at pace across Ukraine, with regular alerts over the last few hours.
In updates on its Telegram account, the Ukrainian armed forces is warning residents of incoming drones and cruise missiles.
The alerts are being posted every few minutes, reflecting the escalating aggression, with constant reminders for residents to seek shelter if in areas under attack.
We will bring you updates from Ukraine.
The local time is around five minutes to 6am (or 5am BST). And Poland's major air hub, Warsaw's Chopin International Airport, has just issued a statement saying there are no flight operations for the time being.
"The airport remains open, but no flight operations are currently taking place," it says in a statement on X.
It adds that passengers should follow government announcements and airline updates.
Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent, reporting in Kyiv
The latest drone incursion from Russia into Polish airspace comes just days after Moscow's forces mounted serious aerial attacks against Ukraine - right at the heart of the capital.
In Kyiv, a key government building was hit by a Russian missile in the early hours of Sunday morning. That's the first time a Ukrainian government building has been hit.
I reported from inside the building shortly after that attack:
Inside Kyiv government building hit by missile strike
In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike on the village of Yarova as "savage" and called once again on Ukraine's allies to increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions.
Read more of my report on Russia's deadlier attacks.
With the Polish armed forces confirming objects have been "downed", it marks what could be the first time the Nato country has directly engaged Russian assets in its airspace since the Ukraine war started in 2022, if the objects are confirmed to be Russian.
It's not the first time Polish fighter jets have been deployed since the conflict began. But previous instances mostly concerned Russian drones overflying Polish airspace trying to reach Ukraine.
Russia has so far been muted about the incident. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied any intention to wage war against Nato countries - which many Western officials are convinced is contrary to their assessment.
We have just received a further update from Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
According to the minister, Poland's Territorial Defence Forces have been activated for "ground searches of downed drones".
According to the government, the forces constitute an "integral part" of Poland’s defence and deterrence potential.
In a post to X, Kosiniak-Kamysz also warned people not to pick up any "fragments of objects", saying they should instead inform the police.
Image source, ReutersPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is "present at the scene of hte operations", Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said in a post on X.
Earlier this hour, Tusk said on social media that the Polish miliary forces "deployed weapons against the objects" - referring to what the military calls Russia's "drone-type" objects.
Tusk also said he received a direct report from the operational commander.
We will bring you more updates when we have further updates from the PM.
The army's operational command has listed three regions that are most vulnerable right now: Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin Voivodeships.
These regions are all located in the eastern part of the country and border Belarus and Ukraine.
Poland's capital, Warsaw, is situated in the centre of Mazowieckie.
The Armed Forces adds that it is monitoring the situation, and that its subordinate forces and resources "remain fully prepared for immediate response".
Katy Watson
Every night, Ukrainians brace themselves for air attacks from Russian drones and missiles. Some nights are worse than others - but Ukraine never escapes the aggression. The air raid sirens that ring out across cities are the soundtrack to most Ukrainians’ lives now.
And every morning, the Ukrainian military release the numbers – how many drones and missiles attacked, where they hit – and who got hurt. It’s a familiar pattern but the air assaults are getting more brazen.
Earlier this week saw the biggest-ever air assault on Ukraine, with more than 800 drones. A government building was targeted.
Image source, ReutersNow, drones have been flown to the far west of Ukraine - not the first time this part of the country has been hit, but the frequency is increasing.
Just a few weeks ago when I was in Ukraine, Polish fighter jets were scrambled because of drones close to the border.
Now Warsaw's airport has been shut, it's a clear sign of the escalation and the panic as Iranian-made Shahed drones infringe on Polish airspace.
Those talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska - not even four weeks ago - feel like a lifetime away. So too does the prospect of peace.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said an operation is underway "related to multiple violations of Polish airspace".
In a post on X, the PM says he's been in "constant contact" with the Ministry of Defence, and has received a direct report from the operational commander.
The Polish Armed Forces said they have deployed weapons to neutralise drone-type objects that "repeatedly violated" their airspace this morning.
"Weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed objects," it said in an earlier post on X.
Image source, Getty ImagesAn operation to "neutralise" objects that violated its airspace is underway, Poland's Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk says.
"Over Poland, an operation to neutralise objects that have violated and exceeded the border of the Republic of Poland is underway," Tomczyk has posted on X.
"All services are in action. We ask you to follow the announcements of the Polish army and the police."
We can now bring you more updates from the Polish Armed Forces.
They have just confirmed that the country's airspace was "repeatedly violated by drone-type objects" during Russia's strikes in Ukraine.
The army's operational command also says in a post on X that an operation is underway to "identify and neutralise the targets".
The Polish army has just made a statement, calling the military operation "ongoing".
It also urged everyone to stay home, according to the Reuters news agency.