NATO Pledges More Ukraine Support as Russian Drones Strike Near Polish Border and Baltic Drone Is Recovered

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has promised additional military aid for Ukraine and vowed to reinforce the alliance's eastern flank after a series of Russian drone strikes hit targets within two kilometres of the Polish border on 13 September, and Polish forces recovered a Russian-origin drone from the Baltic Sea the following day.

"The strikes yesterday on trains in Ukraine close to NATO territory again show Putin's desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror," Rutte told reporters in Brussels on 14 September, alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša. "Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine." Source 5

Strikes near the border

On the evening of 13 September, Russian forces struck a passenger train locomotive belonging to Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) stationed roughly two kilometres from the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing in Volyn Oblast. Minutes earlier, a diplomatic delegation that included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed through the same station, according to Ukrzaliznytsia. A separate drone hit a petrol station near the same crossing point. Source 4

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the attacks showed that "Russia's escalation has become a fact" and warned that "more serious attacks on Polish territory cannot be ruled out" in the coming weeks and months. Source 4

Russian drone recovered from Baltic Sea

On 14 September, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that military personnel had recovered a drone from the waters of the Baltic Sea near the beach in the village of Rusinowo, close to Jarosławiec. "An initial inspection suggests this is a military drone of Russian origin," Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He said appropriate services were securing the site and the recovered equipment. Source 4

The discovery came a day after Tusk's warning and adds to a pattern of Russian drone activity near NATO territory. In early August, Germany blamed Russia for a failed drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport targeting a Ukrainian cargo plane. German authorities said the drone's configuration, components, explosives and detonator matched known Russian hybrid operations. Two suspects — a Belarusian with a Russian passport and a dual Russian-Latvian national — have been identified. Source 1

EU and NATO leaders: a "new normal"

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the Leipzig attack as "a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia" and warned that the bloc must be ready to respond "faster and better" to Moscow's recklessness. Source 1

Rutte, for his part, insisted that the 32-nation alliance would not be intimidated. "He thinks he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong," Rutte said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added that NATO would "do everything possible to defend every inch of Allied territory." Source 5

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas described the strikes near the Polish border as "clearly meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine." Source 6

Sanctions extension stalled

While military and diplomatic rhetoric has hardened, the EU is struggling to maintain unity on sanctions. On 2 September, EU ambassadors failed to agree on extending individual sanctions against more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities, due to expire on 15 September. According to sources in Brussels, the obstacle is Slovakia, which opposes a one-year extension and instead favours the traditional six-month period. Bratislava has also reportedly proposed removing several Russian individuals from the sanctions list, though their names have not been disclosed. Source 2

The delay underscores a growing tension between the EU's stated resolve and the internal politics of sanctions renewal. The issue is expected to be revisited on 9 September, but with the deadline looming, the outcome remains uncertain.

Strategic significance

Taken together, the drone strikes near the Polish border, the recovery of a Russian drone from the Baltic, and the earlier Leipzig attack indicate that Moscow is testing NATO's response thresholds with conventional — but deniable — means. None of these incidents have directly hit NATO territory, but they come uncomfortably close. The recovery of a Russian military drone from Polish waters suggests that reconnaissance or even targeting missions may already be underway over the Baltic.

Rutte's pledge of increased support for Ukraine, including more air defence and long-range strike capabilities, is intended to signal that the alliance will not be cowed. But the sanctions delay shows that the EU's political cohesion — a key pillar of the West's response — is fraying. For now, the message from Brussels is one of defiance, but the test will be whether words translate into sustained action.