Drones brought into Poland from Belarus nearly disrupted NATO exercises

The incident happened during the Falcon Autumn exercises held jointly with the Netherlands. As soon as Dutch troops began setting up camp, they noticed cars with Belarusian number plates nearby. A few minutes later, drones appeared over the base and caused communication disruptions. Neither their origin nor their operators could be identified.

The exercise programme was postponed by several hours. During this time, electronic warfare systems were delivered from the Netherlands to protect the troops from the drones.

According to the exercise commander, Brigadier General Frank Grandia, the incident was «a valuable lesson in conducting operations under electronic interference and the threat of drones».