An armed Russian Kh-101 cruise missile entered Polish airspace during a large overnight attack on Ukraine and fell in a field near Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin region, Polish officials said. No injuries or property damage were reported at the site, but the incursion prompted Polish and allied forces to activate air and ground defences.
Poland’s military detected the object entering its airspace at about 3:40 a.m. local time. An F-16 was sent to identify and intercept it, but the object vanished from radar six minutes later. A military helicopter was subsequently dispatched to confirm the impact area. Investigators found debris and a crater around 10 metres wide in an uninhabited field.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to the area with senior defence and interior officials. He said the available evidence pointed to a Russian Kh-101, while cautioning that investigators still needed to complete their work. Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk later confirmed the missile type and described the episode as a deliberate test of the alliance.
The incursion occurred while Russia launched 74 cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles and 284 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine, according to the supplied reporting. The assault struck six Ukrainian regions, killed at least eight people and injured more than 50. Ukrainian air defences intercepted many of the incoming weapons. Tomczyk said about 20 Russian missiles had been travelling toward Poland before Ukrainian forces brought them down.
A Ukrainian fighter followed the missile that crossed the border but turned away shortly before it reached Polish airspace, avoiding the risk of being mistaken for a hostile aircraft by Polish fighters. NATO aircraft supporting the response included fighters, an airborne early-warning plane and an aerial refuelling aircraft.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called the event reckless and linked it to the wider dangers created by Russia’s war. The episode added to a series of airspace violations involving missiles and drones along NATO’s eastern flank. Poland has repeatedly raised its readiness during major attacks on neighbouring Ukraine.
The incident also renewed discussion in Warsaw about strengthening Ukraine’s air defence. Tusk said Poland would consider providing additional Patriot missiles, arguing that intercepting Russian weapons before they approach the border could also improve Polish security.
Polish officials said warning sirens sounded in Lublin and nearby areas after the object disappeared from radar. Ground search-and-rescue personnel and other services were sent to the scene. The military said the fighter reached the impact area as the missile struck the ground; had it continued flying, commanders would have considered ordering it shot down.
