Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, commenting on the Russian missile’s hit on Polish territory, stated that “there is no reason to believe Poland was the target.”
According to the Polish publication Onet, Tusk made this statement during a visit to Tarnawa Kolonia (Lublin Voivodeship), where the missile fell overnight, along with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamisz and Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński.
“We came here to emphasize to the authorities, particularly the prosecutor’s office, the importance of quickly clarifying all the circumstances of this dramatic event, which, fortunately, occurred without casualties or destruction,” Tusk said.
“As we know, this is the result of a large-scale Russian attack,” he added, specifying that cruise missiles were launched across Ukraine.
The Polish prime minister noted that, according to Polish military reports, starting around midnight, “Ukrainian fighter jets were tracking missiles flying toward the Polish border and attempted to shoot them down, all the way to the Polish border.”
The prime minister reported that two objects crossed Polish airspace.
“One is certain, because we have its trace here. The other was near the Polish border, but it was a very short signal, so there were no consequences,” he said, adding that the military is prepared to shoot down the missile if it poses a direct threat to populated areas.
Kosiniak-Kamysz later clarified that the second missile almost crossed the border but turned back.
Tusk added that, according to military experts, the overwhelming majority of traces and recovered components point to a Russian Kh-101 missile. “This is a cruise missile capable of carrying a payload, and it is also highly likely that the explosion occurred here. The size of the crater, which is 10 meters in diameter and up to 5 meters deep, indicates that this was a very serious incident,” the prime minister said.
The defense minister assured that if there had been a risk of the missile hitting the building, the fighter pilot had full authority to shoot it down.
“We observed more than 20 missiles approaching or maneuvering near the Polish border,” he said. The minister added that the entire operation was also coordinated with the Ukrainian side.