Intel officials are split on whether Russia deliberately flew drones into Poland but agree Putin is getting more aggressive

Police inspect damage to a house damaged by debris from a shot-down Russian drone in Wyryki-Wola, Poland, on September 10. Wojtek Raswanski/AFP/Getty Images

In the week since NATO fighter jets scrambled to shoot down multiple Russian drones that had crossed into alliance airspace in Poland, US and Western intelligence officials have been unable to determine whether the incursion was accidental or an intentional effort by Russia to probe Western air defenses and gauge NATO’s response.

Officials cautioned that either way, the episode still represents a worrying signal that the Kremlin’s willingness to pique NATO — perhaps at the risk of escalating the conflict — has grown.

“It doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous,” a senior Western intelligence official said. “There’s certainly something t