Polish military authorities said they had not detected any violation of the NATO ally’s airspace after an explosion in a cornfield in eastern Poland left a large crater and smashed nearby windows.
The incident, under investigation by police and the army, happened in the village of Osiny in the early hours of Wednesday, August 20. Nobody was injured.
The war in Ukraine has had an impact on neighboring Poland, which regularly scrambles fighter jets in response to Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine.
Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said its preliminary analysis of radar system records showed that “no violation of Polish airspace was registered last night, either from the direction of Ukraine or Belarus,” per a statement posted to X, originally in Polish.
A file photo shows a French soldier taking part in an exercise with Ukrainian troops at a military training compound at an undisclosed location in Poland on April 25, 2025.
A file photo shows a French soldier taking part in an exercise with Ukrainian troops at a military training compound at an undisclosed location in Poland on April 25, 2025.
WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images
The command said its initial assessments showed an object found at the site of the blast “may be a part of an old engine with a propeller,” but that authorities are still conducting a detailed analysis of it.
“The personnel of the Republic of Poland’s air defense system maintain round-the-clock observation of Polish airspace, remaining in constant readiness to ensure its security,” the command said.
Newsweek has contacted the Polish defense ministry for comment via email.
Charred Fragments Discovered After ‘Powerful Bang’
Police said they found metal and plastic fragments from an unidentified object in the field after they were dispatched to reports of an explosion at around 2.am. local time.
Marcin Józwik, a police staff sergeant in Łuków, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the fragments were charred and scattered over the area.
Łuków.TV, a local television station, reported that an object resembling a propeller had been found at the site. The station also aired surveillance footage from a resident that showed a bright flash in the night sky followed by a loud bang.
“A powerful bang woke me up, making the window panes rattle. I looked outside but didn’t see anything. Only in the morning did I notice the lights of police cars,” an unidentified resident told Łuków.TV.
In November 2022, a missile struck a grain facility in southern Poland, killing two people. Polish investigators later said it was an air defense missile fired by Ukraine.
They also believe that debris found in an eastern Polish forest in April 2023 came from a Russian Kh-55 cruise missile fired at Ukraine from Belarus.
Update 8/20/25, 3:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.