Skip to content
Edit post

Drone possibly flew into Polish territory during mass Russian attack on Ukraine, Polish military says

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 26, 2024 3:58 PM 2 min read
An Iranian-made Shahed 131/136 kamikaze drone, a model often used by Russian forces in airstrikes against Ukraine in an undated photo. For illustrative purposes. (Ukraine's Southern Operational Command/Telegram)
This audio is created with AI assistance

An unidentified airborne object, likely a drone, probably flew into Polish territory in the morning of Aug. 26 amid a mass Russian attack across Ukraine, Polish military officials said.

Russia used at least 100 missiles and 100 drones in a wide-scale attack across the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. At least five people have been killed and eight were injured as of the time of this publication.

The Polish Operational Command said earlier in the day that Polish and other allied jets were active in the southeastern part of the country amid the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Jacek Goryszewski, a spokesperson for Poland's Operational Command, told Reuters that "most likely (the object) was a drone, and we assume so because the trajectory of the flight and the speed indicate that it was definitely not a missile."

Major General Maciej Klisz, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, said at a briefing that the object probably crossed the border at 6:43 a.m. Polish time from the direction of the Ukrainian city of Chervonohrad, Lviv Oblast.

"The object disappeared after (traveling) approximately 25 km (15 miles) into Polish territory," Klisz said.

"The object was not confirmed by either allied or Polish aircraft," the major general added.

According to spokesperson Goryszewski, "the object is being searched for by 100 soldiers on the ground and one helicopter." Due to weather conditions, the origin of the object was not possible.

Klisz said that the search was being conducted near the Polish town of Tyszowce, located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

It is not the first time there has been spillover from the full-scale war in Ukraine onto Polish territory.

In December 2023, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, putting the country's defenses on high alert. In another incident in November 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during a Russian mass attack, killing two civilians. Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian anti-air projectile launched to intercept the Russian attack.

Drone wreckage found in Romanian town near Ukrainian border
Drone fragments were discovered in Romania near its border with Ukraine, specifically in the area around the village of Periprava, Tulcea county.

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.