An airborne object crashed in eastern Poland early Thursday during Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine, leaving behind a 10-meter-wide crater and scattered debris, said Polish authorities.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha quickly claimed on X that it was “a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile” that violated NATO airspace. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk — who visited the site on Thursday morning — seemed to agree, saying that Poland was “ready to shoot down the missile if it continued its flight. Everything indicates that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.”
“In response to a Russian missile of currently unknown type that entered Polish airspace and later crashed into Polish territory — one of many missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine overnight — NATO and Poland activated their air and ground defences,” confirmed Col. Martin O’Donnell, the spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
The object was detected moving westward through Polish airspace at 3:40 a.m., according to the country’s Operational Command. An F-16 fighter jet was sent to identify and intercept it, but the object disappeared from radar six minutes later, before it could be identified.
A Mi-24 attack helicopter subsequently located the probable crash site in an undeveloped area near Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin province — a region near the Ukrainian border. Police found a crater and debris in a field about 2 kilometers from the nearest buildings after residents reported a loud explosion, according to local police. No casualties were reported.
“This is yet another clear demonstration that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense now is urgent and serves as a guarantee for the protection of the entire Euro-Atlantic community,” Sybiha said on X.
EU Council President António Costa described “Russia’s aggression” as “a threat to the security of Europe as a whole.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed eight people were killed during the strikes on social media, adding that three children and their parents in the Dnipro region were among the victims.
He also reiterated his call for help from Ukraine’s allies. “Untimely assistance and delays in the delivery of anti-ballistic missiles lead to this kind of destruction, these kinds of casualties that, unfortunately, we are seeing today,” he wrote.
Ferdinand Knapp and Victor Jack contributed to this report.
This story has been updated.
