Germany has deployed five Eurofighter fighter jets and about 150 military personnel to the Polish city of Malbork to help secure the country's airspace in response to Russian drone interference in September, the German air force said on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS surveillance planes and NATO refueling planes have been scrambled in an operation to shoot down drones that entered Polish airspace in mid-September.
Moscow has denied responsibility for the incident.
The German Eurofighter jets are operating as part of NATO's Eastern Sentry mission and will remain stationed in Malbork, about 60 kilometers from Gdansk and 80 kilometers from the heavily armed Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, until March 2026, according to the Luftwaffe.
"With this mission, we are sending another strong message of support to our neighbor Poland and NATO as a whole," said the head of the German Air Force, Holger Neumann.
Germany has also sent Eurofighter fighter jets to Romania, as part of NATO's efforts to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank amid rising tensions with Russia.