The targeted russian attack on Polish territory with long-range drones on the night of September 10, described by the Polish government as an "unprecedented violation of airspace" and a "major provocation," is far from the first episode in the Kremlin's gradual escalation. Moreover, all evidence indicates that this and other similar attacks had been prepared well in advance.
As early as July, information emerged in Poland showing that among the wreckage of russian UAVs shot down in Ukraine, 4G modems with SIM cards from Polish mobile operators were found.
Read more: Crazy Navy Plan to Swap Destroyers for Drone Fleets Raises Big Questions on Cost, Combat Power
This information was reported by Polish journalist Marek Budzisz, citing a report dated July 2 (author unspecified) containing detailed data, including locations where the russian drones were downed.
In addition to the Polish SIM cards, one of the drones contained a SIM card from a Lithuanian operator. The report noted that this clearly points to russia preparing drone flights over these countries and testing mobile network connections.
It also explicitly stated, "We consider it necessary to inform our partners in Poland and Lithuania of the discovery of SIM cards from Polish and Lithuanian providers in russian long-range strike drones." This information was reportedly shared with Polish contacts a week later and reached the public domain.
Despite this, the information caused little reaction in Poland, even though russian drones had already started regularly entering its airspace during the summer. Some of these drones even exploded on the ground, such as the incident on August 20 near the village of Osiny in the Lublin Voivodeship, about 40 km from the NATO air patrol base.
Mobile internet on russian drones is used to transmit data from the UAV itself and to adjust its flight. Depending on the additional equipment installed, russia can gather information on the operation of air defense systems and electronic warfare, as well as transmit visual data from onboard cameras. These capabilities have long been and are actively used by russia against Ukraine.
Whether the drones that attacked Poland today were equipped with such systems remains unknown. However, it is reasonable to assume that one of the purposes of the russian attack was to gather intelligence on Poland's air defense systems, especially considering that on September 12, joint russian-belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025 are scheduled to begin on Belarusian territory.
Read more: 1295 Days of russia-Ukraine War – russian Casualties in Ukraine
