Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a “huge” number of Russian drones crossed the border into Poland (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

European defence stocks rallied on Wednesday after the shock arrival of Russian drones across the border with Poland sent tensions in the region to fresh highs.

Shares in FTSE 100 giant BAE Systems closed up 2.1 per cent to 1,830p by the end of the day’s trading in London, while Italy’s Leonardo rose 2.4 per cent, Germany’s Rheinmetall rose 3.3 per cent and France’s Thales rose 3 per cent. The moves added a combined £5.2bn to the market caps of the four firms.

Polish president Donald Tusk said Polish airspace had been “violated” by a “huge number” of Russian drones, with a number of them shot down by Nato pilots.

The incident sparked a

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