Czech Republic says to send helicopters to help with Polish defense

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic will support Poland with helicopters to protect the country from drones at low altitudes, the Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.

In response to the "current threats" from drone activity over Polish territory, the ministry said it is ready to send a helicopter unit for special operations, equipped with three specially modified Mi-171S aircraft.

Poland requested the unit following a phone call between Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova and her Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the ministry said in a statement.

The number of soldiers will not exceed 150, and will be determined based on the current situation and logistical support possibilities, it added.

"Our helicopters can assist in the defense of European airspace within a few days," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on social media platform X.

The Polish air forces shot down multiple drones on Wednesday after the country reported its airspace was violated by a "huge number of Russian drones", some of which posed a "direct threat".

Warsaw claimed that this incident marked the first downing of Russian drones over NATO territory, while Moscow dismissed the accusation as groundless.

Russia's Charge d'Affaires in Poland, Andrey Ordash, was quoted by TASS on Wednesday as saying that the drones were from Ukraine.