A Russian military Mi-8 helicopter briefly penetrated Polish airspace on 23 September, prompting NATO fighter jets to be scrambled in response. Polish military officials characterised the incursion as a deliberate test of NATO's air defence readiness, part of an ongoing pattern of Russian probing of alliance boundaries. The incident occurred against the backdrop of daily Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine and heightened NATO vigilance along its eastern borders.

The helicopter remained in Polish airspace for 42 seconds, reaching a maximum depth of approximately 328 yards from the border with Kaliningrad before withdrawing. The same evening, Romanian F-16 jets were similarly scrambled to investigate an aerial target near the Ukrainian-Romanian border. NATO has experienced repeated Russian drone incursions and drones crashing on member territory over recent years. Meanwhile, Russian forces conducted daylight drone attacks on Kyiv, killing two people and wounding 23 others, whilst Ukrainian President Zelensky was in New York seeking additional international support at the UN General Assembly and had recently met with US President Donald Trump to discuss the four-year conflict.