According to a Polish general, a Russian missile may have entered Polish airspace on Friday during a heavy Russian attack on Ukraine overnight.
Maciej Klisz, commander of the Polish armed forces, said it is unlikely the object spent more than three minutes in Polish airspace before returning to Ukrainian territory.
“The entire flight path over Polish territory was being monitored,” Klisz told reporters. “At the moment, the scenario that I am recommending is that the missile left Poland’s airspace.”
On Friday evening, the Polish foreign ministry said it summoned the Russian charge d’affaires and demanded an explanation for the violation of Poland’s airspace by a missile.
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The Russian embassy in Warsaw was not immediately available for comment.
According to Ukrainian military sources, Russia attacked Ukraine with 158 drones and missiles overnight, targeting critical infrastructure, industries, and military facilities.
A stray Ukrainian missile struck the Polish village of Przewodow in southern Poland in November 2022, raising fears of the Ukraine conflict spilling into Poland.
An object believed to be a Russian missile was found in a forest near the village of Zamosc near the northern city of Bydgoszcz in April.
TV Republika reported on Friday that a search was underway near the town of Hrubieszow in southern Poland. Reuters could not confirm this information immediately.
“We received information that an object appeared on the radar near Hrubieszow,” Krzysztof Komorski, governor of the Lublin region, said on X. “We have no confirmation that it fell within our region.”
Emergency services, including police and volunteer army units, were scouring the area, but it was unclear whether the object had landed on Polish soil. No casualties have been reported.
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Additionally, General Klisz stated that the missile flew 40 kilometers (25 miles) into Poland without being intercepted.
The Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with the chiefs of the army and security services around midday local time (1100 GMT) to discuss the incident.
