The Financial Times reported the information. If Vladimir Putin intended to use the morning drone sortie into Poland to probe NATO’s air defenses, analysts say the Russian leader likely got the response he was hoping for — and warn that next time, he may go further.The drone incursion triggered NATO fighter jets, which shot down several UAVs. It was the first time the U.S.-led alliance had engaged directly with Russian forces since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The episode underscores a perilous escalation in a war that has lasted more than three and a half years, the outlet noted.But according to officials, defense experts, and analysts, the incident also exposed how unprepared Europe remains for the kind of large-scale aerial barrages Russia unleashes on Ukraine almost nightly — highlighting the immense investment needed to fortify NATO’s eastern flank. “[Moscow] will have taken note that we have still not learned from what Ukraine has been dealing with for years. We are absolutely not prepared for that . . . and now they are at our door,” said Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe.Hodges stressed that Europe urgently needs a multi-layered, integrated air-defense system capable of assessing the scale of an attack and reallocating resources — rather than what happened Wednesday morning, when high-end fighter jets such as Dutch F-35s were scrambled to shoot down cheap drones. “This was not an accident, obviously, given the number of drones. This was a rehearsal. To probe, and find out how good are our early warning systems, what are our reaction times,” he added.Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called the drone incursion a “deliberate attack” with “two purposes: to provoke and to test.” “Moscow is deliberately fuelling an escalation that no one wants. It is evident that it has no interest in a truce or peace,” Crosetto said.NATO has acknowledged that its eastern air defenses remain a weak spot requiring urgent investment. Secretary General Mark Rutte praised the alliance’s “very successful reaction” and vowed to defend “every inch of allied territory.”Russian Shaheds in Polish airspace. BackgroundPolish Armed Forces’ Operational Command put air defense systems and aviation on highest alert due to Russia’s night attack on Ukraine: Russian drones violated the country’s airspace.As a result of a Russian attack on the night of September 10, drone debris fell on a residential building in a village in Poland’s Lublin Voivodeship. No one was injured.Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to help Poland develop an alert and air defense system. Meanwhile, European Commission President von der Leyen announces the EU will build a “drone wall” on the Russia border.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones, stating that Kyiv had warned Warsaw about the UAV movements.On Wednesday, September 10, NATO activated Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty after Russian drones violated Polish territory.