Unidentified drone at Polish coal mine prompts army alert
Illustrative photo: Polish police secure the site where the drone was discovered (Getty Images)
An unidentified drone was discovered on the premises of a coal mine near the city of Konin in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Police and the military gendarmerie are working at the scene, according to the Polish Press Agency and a statement from the police of the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
It is noted that, as of now, no incidents posing a threat to people’s lives or health have been recorded.
Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists that the circumstances of the drone’s crash are being investigated. He added that he had already received a report from the commander of the operational forces of the Polish Armed Forces.
"There is a possibility that this was a drone carrying out a mission in the interests of our opponents from the east. This matter must be thoroughly clarified," the Polish minister stressed.
According to sources close to the Polish Ministry of Defense, the discovered drone may be one of the Russian UAVs that violated Poland’s airspace on the night of September 10 last year.
At that time, several drones were detected over Poland, many of which fell on the country’s territory, including after being shot down by NATO aircraft.
In February, a drone fell onto the territory of a military unit in the Polish city of Leźnica Wielka, where the 1st Air Cavalry Battalion is stationed.
A small commercial drone got caught in a tree without causing casualties or damage to infrastructure. Poland’s Military Gendarmerie of Poland identified and detained the drone’s operator — a 22-year-old Polish citizen.
In addition, an unidentified drone recently crashed on the territory of a military unit in the Polish city of Przasnysz. At first, there were suspicions of possible espionage against the military, but they were not confirmed.
According to preliminary information, the object turned out to be a toy drone that had neither a SIM card nor a memory card.
