German minister: Russian drone incursion into Poland is regarded as deliberate

BERLIN, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The incursion of Russian drones into Poland was an unacceptable, targeted provocation against NATO, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday, adding he believed it had been a deliberate act.

"There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that these drones accidentally flew over Polish territory on this route," Pistorius told reporters. "This means that we can assume that this was a deliberate action," he said.

Asked how this differed from an attack that could trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty, he said it was an attack in that it had infringed Polish air space but not in a military sense that anything was destroyed or people killed, as far as he knew.

Pistorius added NATO was united and had a clear but level-headed response. "We are focusing on strength and unity but will not let ourselves be provoked," he said.