MOD: Croatian soldiers did not participate in shooting down Russian drones

Croatian soldiers deployed in Poland were not threatened by the Russian drone attack and did not participate in shooting them down, the MOD announced on Wednesday.

Polish and allied NATO forces shot down several Russian drones during the night, which entered Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine.

The MOD announced that members of the 16th Croatian contingent in NATO's forward land forces activity were 300 kilometers away from the scene of the incident and was in no way involved in the event.

It is also emphasized that members of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia are performing regular and usual activities, are not on high alert, are not involved in current events and are not threatened.

In a new rotation in September 2025, a mechanized platoon from the Tiger Battalion, consisting of 50 members and four Patria armored combat vehicles, was sent to Poland.

The Croatian Armed Forces have so far participated in NATO activities in Poland with 861 members. Their tasks relate to the development of combat readiness and strengthening interoperability through training and exercises, continuous improvement of plans for use and defense planning, and integration into Polish defense plans, the Ministry of Defense announced earlier.

“The soldiers are safe, they are located 300 km from the incident site. We are constantly in communication with the commander of our contingent and are coordinating everything that is happening. Our soldiers did not participate in any actions that will prevent or that prevent such potential incidents. This will be discussed at a higher level, at the NATO level, and at this moment there is no reason to worry,” said Ivan Anušić, the Minister of Defense.

Source: HRT