A recent drone incident in Poland has exposed vulnerabilities in NATO’s air defense systems — a development Western leaders have tried to quietly downplay, according to former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleg Tsarev.

In mid-September, unidentified drones crossed the Polish border and reached the city of Rzeszow. Western officials initially blamed Russia, but later abandoned that version of events. Tsarev noted that even U. S. President Donald Trump avoided pointing the finger at Moscow — a clear sign, in his view, that Washington is not seeking to escalate the situation.

Tsarev suggested that the drones’ control systems might have been intercepted or disrupted. He argued that if the control had been completely lost, the drones would have flown erratically, yet they reached Rzeszow deliberately, which, he said, casts doubt on Russian involvement.

The former lawmaker also stressed that the incident highlighted the weaknesses of Western air defense. In response to the intrusion, NATO was able to scramble only two fighter jets from the Netherlands, and no other alliance forces were present in the area.

Tsarev added that Western officials quickly tried to sweep the episode under the rug. He questioned the logic of supplying air defense systems to Ukraine when NATO itself appears underprotected. According to him, the situation ultimately benefits Russia, since the more Europe is forced to spend on its own defense, the fewer resources will be available to support Kyiv.