A Russian military drone crashed and exploded in eastern Poland on the 20th of August, once again causing concern on NATO’s eastern flank; meanwhile, Western leaders are trying to move peace talks forward, writes Politico.
The drone crashed in a cornfield near the village of Osin, about 100 kilometers southeast of Warsaw. Video released by LukowTV shows a flash of light, followed by a loud explosion, the window glass was shattered in nearby houses. There were no reports of injuries, although police said the drone explosion left a crater six meters wide.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Russia was once again provoking NATO countries. Warsaw has informed allies about the incident.
Moscow, meanwhile, has not commented about its drone in Poland.
This is not the first time that Russian drones have entered NATO airspace – such cases have recently been observed in Lithuania, Latvia and Romania, and in August, the authorities searched for the drone that crossed the Lithuanian border for several days.
The drone crashed in Poland at a politically tense moment, when European countries are trying to achieve favorable terms for peace talks for Ukraine, but Moscow is not backing down from its demand to receive part of Ukrainian territory and does not show any particular interest in stopping hostilities.
The incident recalls the events of November 2022, when two men died in a missile strike near the Polish-Ukrainian border. At that time, it turned out that the explosion was caused by a missile from the Ukrainian air defense system that deviated from its target.
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