Poland was ready to shoot down Russian missile if it kept flying, PM says

"We were ready to shoot down the missile if it had continued its flight. All the evidence suggests that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile," Tusk says.

According to the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, one of the aerial objects approached the Polish border at 3:29 a.m., coming within about 5 km. It then changed course and flew eastward.

At the same time, at 3:40 a.m., an unidentified object moving westward was detected in Polish airspace. An F-16 fighter jet on standby was dispatched to the area to identify and intercept it.

However, by 3:46 a.m., even before the object could be identified, it had disappeared from radar. To verify and definitively confirm the radar readings, a Mi-24 helicopter was dispatched to the area where the object was last detected.

The helicopter crew identified the object’s probable crash site in an undeveloped area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship.

A ground search-and-rescue team and other specialized services were dispatched to the site. Search and operational activities are currently underway at the scene.

Background

Earlier, an air raid alert was issued in eastern Poland due to a Russian attack on western regions of Ukraine. Subsequently, reports emerged that one or two missiles may have briefly entered Polish airspace.

Later, in the Lublin Voivodeship, residents heard powerful explosions. Subsequently, a large crater was discovered in a field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, which likely formed after an unknown object fell.

Donald Tusk announced that a coordination group will be urgently convened in Poland on July 30 following a violation of Polish airspace by an unidentified object.

Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile flew over Polish territory during the night.