Russian drone strikes just kilometers from Poland as fighter jets scramble
Donald Tusk (photo: Getty Images)
A Russian attack drone came down in the Volyn region just a few kilometers from the Polish border. Warsaw reported scrambling military aircraft amid the attack, RMF FM reports.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the drone came down near the Dorohusk border crossing. He suggested that the target of the Russian attack may have been a gas station, after which a powerful explosion occurred.
"I received another report: the Russian attack on western Ukraine has ended. Very close to the Polish border, near Dorohusk, a gas station was again apparently attacked. There was a very powerful explosion. Our aircraft were scrambled. It is September 17 — an exceptional day, including from the perspective of today's security," he said.
The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces clarified that the drone likely came down or was shot down about four kilometers from the border, on Ukrainian territory.
According to the Polish side, it was a jet-powered drone that was rapidly approaching the border, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled.
Command spokesperson Jacek Goryszewski noted that the military is continuing to verify data from its systems. According to preliminary information, the drone may have hit its target or been destroyed by the Ukrainian side.
Poland previously began equipping more than 100 km of its border with Ukraine with an electronic security system. It includes territorial monitoring and motion sensors, supplementing the physical barriers already in place.
