Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on 20/8 that a "Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)" exploded in a cornfield in the village of Osiny, about 100 km from the border with Ukraine. The explosion caused no casualties, but shattered windows in nearby homes.
During a press conference on 21/8, Polish officials said they believed the UAV had entered Polish airspace two days earlier. Video footage from security cameras near the scene showed a flash and a loud noise, believed to be the UAV exploding, at 10:58 PM on 19/8.
General Dariusz Malinowski, deputy head of the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command, said that at the time the UAV entered Polish airspace, air defense systems were on alert due to Russian attacks on Ukraine.
"Poland's air defense system went on high alert from 8 PM on 19/8. The entire surveillance system was activated. All forces and missile defense equipment were on combat readiness. An Mi-24 attack helicopter was also patrolling the eastern area bordering Ukraine," General Malinowski said.
However, the Polish military lowered the alert level and withdrew the combat readiness order at midnight, as they did not detect any unusual activity or threats. They only learned about the UAV incursion the next day.
"We received information about the object exploding very close to Lukow in the morning. Preliminary investigations indicate that the UAV flew very low to avoid radar detection, and it also employed various measures to limit the risk of exposure," General Malinowski said.
General Malinowski stated that officials had not determined whether the UAV was targeting Poland or had simply strayed off course. Poland has not released any data on the aircraft's flight path. A UAV launched from Russia would have to fly over Belarus or Ukraine to enter Polish airspace.
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The UAV engine in a cornfield in Osiny, Poland, on 19/8. Photo: 7DNI |
Search teams are continuing to collect debris. Initial information suggests the UAV had a warhead with a self-destruct mechanism and may have been a decoy. Russia frequently deploys Geran-2 long-range suicide UAVs to attack targets, as well as decoy aircraft to deceive Ukrainian air defenses, including the Gerbera model, which is similar in shape to the Geran-2 but carries a smaller warhead.
Russian officials have not commented on the Polish allegations.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, missiles from both sides have occasionally entered Polish airspace. Most of these were Russian cruise missiles launched at western Ukraine, typically flying over Polish territory for a short time before returning across the border.
The most serious incident occurred in November 2022 when a Ukrainian S-300 air defense missile crossed the border and landed in a Polish village, killing two people. Poland has since frequently activated its air defense systems and deployed fighter jets in response.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Business Insider)
