Tusk says Russian missile appears to have come down in eastern Poland
Members of the military and emergency services work near a crater in a field left by an unidentified object that appears to be a Russian missile near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in Lublin province, Poland, on Jul 30, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki)
TARNAWA-KOLONIA, Poland: An object that came down in eastern Poland overnight appears to be a Russian missile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday (Jul 30), after authorities found a crater and scattered debris in a field following reports of an explosion.
It was the latest in a series of airspace incursions in countries on NATO's eastern flank, including Romania and the Baltic states, that have fuelled fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the alliance's borders. Poland scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace after Russian airstrikes killed at least eight people in neighbouring Ukraine, in attacks that extended as far as the western city of Lviv.
"All the indications are that it was a Russian Kh-101 ballistic missile, but we want to be 100 per cent certain about the type of missile and who launched it," Tusk told an emergency meeting.
"There was no direct threat because the missile landed in an uninhabited area; we were ready to shoot it down had it continued its flight," he added.
NO REASON TO THINK POLAND WAS TARGET
Tusk later visited the site where the object fell, near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, just over 100km from the Ukrainian border.
"There is no reason to think the target was Poland," he said, adding that Ukrainian fighter pilots had attempted to shoot down missiles approaching the Polish border. Tusk vowed to maintain support for Ukraine, saying his government would consider providing further aid including additional Patriot systems. Bilateral relations have recently been strained by disputes over history.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said earlier in a post on X that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Poland.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had discussed the situation with Tusk. "This incident is yet another reckless act by Russia and a dangerous consequence of its war against Ukraine," Rutte wrote on X.
The object left a crater about 10m wide, the interior ministry added on X. According to local authorities, it was located in farmland about 2km from residential buildings.
Local resident Roman Bartoszek, who lives around four kilometres from where the object fell, said he had heard aircraft overhead and his windows had shaken.
The operational command of Poland's armed forces said an object had been detected in Polish airspace at 3.40am local time and disappeared from radars soon afterwards.
An Mi-24 helicopter later went to the crash site. Police had received reports of a large bang and went to the site where they found the crater.
