WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged Thursday to push ahead with a “great modernization program” for his country’s military, a day after Russian drones crossed into Poland and amplified international tensions around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including what the Kremlin’s future territorial ambitions might be.

Russian drones shot down over Poland were reportedly headed for Rzeszow Airport, a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine, German media outlets Spiegel and Welt reported on Sept. 11.

"We are dealing with a direct technological race in which the advantage will go to those who not only modernize but also stay ahead," Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Vladimir Putin's response to Donald Trump's peace efforts has been a clear escalation in Russian attacks. But they don't only target the Ukrainian capital. In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.

On Friday, Russia and Belarus are set to begin their joint military exercises. Poland announced earlier this week that it will shut down its border with Belarus during the Zapad-2025 drills, calling them “very aggressive”.

A Russian airstrike killed 24 elderly people who were collecting pensions in a village in eastern Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to urge Kyiv's allies to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war.