Russia’s air war of flimsy decoys

What is President Vladimir Putin’s motive for this bizarre violation of NATO’s borders—especially given that the drones over Poland were not armed?

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s real goal with the Poland drone strike is to stampede NATO’s European countries into spending large amounts on their own national defence, instead of continuing to send arms to beleaguered Ukraine, writes Gwynne Dyer.Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

September 17, 2025

LONDON, U.K.—“NATO is responding with unity and strength,” said British defence secretary John Healey. “If you’ve got drones that are putting Polish lives at risk, then NATO will take them out. There’s no firm confirmation on intent, but in the end that’s not t...

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