Drone with Cyrillic markings crashes in Poland near Belarus border
A drone without explosives was discovered near the Polish-Belarusian border in the village of Polatycze, around 300 meters (984 feet) from the border crossing, the Lublin prosecutor's office said on Sept. 8, according to PolsatNews.
"The drone is unarmed, and there are Cyrillic inscriptions on it," said Agnieszka Kepka, spokesperson for the prosecutor's office in Poland's eastern city of Lublin.
Local police confirmed the wreckage was found near the Terespol border crossing late on Sept. 7 following a report from border guards, according to RMF FM. No injuries were reported, the police said.
The incident follows several recent airspace violations.
A Russian drone crashed in eastern Poland on Aug. 20, and on Sept. 3, two drones entered Polish airspace overnight but were not shot down after being deemed non-threatening.
Poland has repeatedly accused Moscow of probing its defenses with drone flights. The country, a NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank, has been among Kyiv's strongest supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, sending tanks, heavy equipment, and ammunition.
Lublin Province, where the drone was found, borders both Belarus and Ukraine.
Poland's position on NATO's eastern frontier places it at the core of the alliance's deterrence strategy, as Western leaders continue to warn of the risk of a broader confrontation with Russia.
