Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, on Monday declared that NATO countries are “at war” with Russia due to their ongoing military support for Ukraine.
“NATO is at war with Russia; this is obvious and needs no proof. NATO provides direct and indirect support to the Kyiv regime,” Peskov told Russian journalists, reiterating Moscow’s stance that Western assistance to Ukraine amounts to direct participation in the conflict.
His comments came just days after Poland confirmed shooting down Russian drones that violated its airspace, the first publicly acknowledged case of a NATO member neutralizing Russian military assets within its own territory.
The Kremlin’s latest rhetoric mirrors disinformation campaigns already circulating in Poland, according to analysts.
After the Sept. 10 incursion, Polish experts identified a surge in Russian and Belarusian disinformation narratives, many of which claimed Poland’s response meant the country had entered a state of war with Moscow.
Poland’s national research institute NASK warned that such claims were deliberately false and intended to “cause panic among the public.”
The group noted that narratives pushed online often contradicted each other, ranging from outright denial of the drone incident to blaming Ukraine and alleging Kyiv was attempting to drag NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia.
NASK emphasized that the purpose of these narratives was to shift blame for the violation of Polish airspace away from Moscow and undermine confidence in Poland’s military and security services.
Polish NGO Res Futura also reported that the incursion triggered a coordinated psychological operation designed to “escalate emotions, polarize public opinion,” and weaken public trust in both the Polish government and its NATO partners.
Its social media monitoring showed that 38% of online commentary framed the incident as a “Ukrainian provocation” or “false flag,” while 34% blamed Russia, a pattern the NGO said reflected organized manipulation rather than organic public debate.
“The drone attack was used not only as a military incident, but above all as a tool of psychological warfare,” Res Futura’s report stated, describing the episode as the next stage in a hybrid conflict where information warfare dominates.
The Sept. 10 violation of Polish airspace was not an isolated event. On Sept. 13, Romania scrambled F-16s after detecting a Russian drone crossing into its airspace during a strike near the Ukrainian border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed the drone remained inside Romania for nearly an hour.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the incident as a “reckless escalation.”
Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that NATO could revisit discussions about deploying air defenses to close part of Ukraine’s skies.
Former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, responded with his trademark incendiary tone, warning that any NATO enforcement of a no-fly zone would mean “war between NATO and Russia.”
According to Polish authorities, 21 Russian drones crossed into its territory on Sept. 10, with four intercepted.
Warsaw has since invoked NATO’s Article 4, which provides for urgent consultations when a member’s security is threatened. In response, NATO launched its Eastern Sentry mission to bolster collective defense along the alliance’s eastern flank.
