NATO's Poland Says Missile That Caused Crater Was 'Most Likely' Russian
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Poland has said that an object that crashed and exploded inside its territory was likely a Russian cruise missile.
Poland is a member of NATO, of which the charter's Article 5 clause deems an attack on one as an attack on all. Russian drones and missiles have entered NATO territory during the war in Ukraine and the latest incident continues test the alliance's collective defense pledge.
Polish police said that the object crashed near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in Lublin province, leaving a 30-foot wide crater which was shared widely on social media.
Poland’s defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said on Thursday that the object was “most likely” a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile and that Warsaw was in contact with NATO members about the incident.
Newsweek has contacted NATO and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X the object was a KH-101 cruise missile which Moscow has regularly used to bombard Ukraine's cities, showing the need for additional air defenses for Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X that during Russia's missile attack on the west of Ukraine, Polish airspace was violated.
In a media briefing on Thursday, Ireneusz Nowak, the inspector of the Polish Air Force, said that Russia fired inside Ukraine overnight 20 to 22 Kh-101 missiles, two of which were identified as posing a potential threat to Poland’s territory.
Poland scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to follow one of the missiles and observed its crash in an uninhabited area.
A loud bang was reported in Biłgoraj county, between the villages of Tarnawa Kolonia and Biskupice and debris and the crater were discovered in a field over a mile from the nearest buildings, Polish police said, cited by Reuters.
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, warned on X against any attempts by Moscow to blame Ukraine for the incident. "To preempt Putinist disinformation, please read: Missiles (KH-101) are used exclusively by Russia's strategic aviation."
Poland’s army its air defenses said at least a dozen missiles were launched over western Ukraine, near Polish airspace overnight Wednesday.
In Ukraine, Russian missiles hit the city of Lviv in attacks which consisted of at least 74 missiles and 284 drones across the country, according to Kyiv.
Ukraine said its air defenses intercepted 55 missiles and 65 of the drones launched by Moscow. There were strikes also in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv and the wider Kyiv region.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced it had launched strikes with "long-range precision weapons from land, air, and sea” as well as attack drones on military sites across Ukraine.
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