“We were ready to shoot down the missile if it had continued its flight. All the evidence suggests that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile,” Tusk says.<\/p>\n
According to the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, one of the aerial objects approached the Polish border at 3:29 a.m., coming within about 5 km. It then changed course and flew eastward.<\/p>\n
At the same time, at 3:40 a.m., an unidentified object moving westward was detected in Polish airspace. An F-16 fighter jet on standby was dispatched to the area to identify and intercept it.<\/p>\n
However, by 3:46 a.m., even before the object could be identified, it had disappeared from radar. To verify and definitively confirm the radar readings, a Mi-24 helicopter was dispatched to the area where the object was last detected.<\/p>\n
The helicopter crew identified the object\u2019s probable crash site in an undeveloped area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship.<\/p>\n
A ground search-and-rescue team and other specialized services were dispatched to the site. Search and operational activities are currently underway at the scene.<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
Earlier, an air raid alert was issued in eastern Poland due to a Russian attack on western regions of Ukraine. Subsequently, reports emerged that one or two missiles may have briefly entered Polish airspace.<\/p>\n
Later, in the Lublin Voivodeship, residents heard powerful explosions. Subsequently, a large crater was discovered in a field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, which likely formed after an unknown object fell.<\/p>\n
Donald Tusk announced that a coordination group will be urgently convened in Poland on July 30 following a violation of Polish airspace by an unidentified object.<\/p>\n