'Powerful explosion' occurs near Polish border amid Russian drone attack on western Ukraine, Tusk says
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A Russian jet-powered drone crashed or struck a target about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Polish border during a Russian attack on western Ukraine, Polish authorities said on Sept. 17.
Ukrainian monitoring channels and the Air Force reported at around 12:45 p.m. local time that the jet-powered drone was flying from Rivne Oblast toward Volyn Oblast, which borders Poland to the west.
The threat of another Russian incursion into Polish airspace prompted the Polish Air Force to scramble fighter jets.
Residents of counties in the Lublin and Podkarpackie districts received government alerts warning of a potential air attack, Polish media RMF24 reported. Airports in Lublin and Rzeszow also temporarily suspended flight operations.
"I received another message: The Russian attack on the western part of Ukraine has ended," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during a Polish government meeting on Sept. 17.
"Very close to the Polish border, not far from Dorohusk, a gas station was probably attacked again," Tusk said. "There was a very powerful explosion. Our planes took off. This Sept. 17 is an exceptional day, including from the point of view of today's security."
Sept. 17 is a significant date in Poland, marking the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. The invasion, launched without a formal declaration of war, came 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine denied reports that a Russian drone struck a border crossing with Poland during the attack. Polish authorities, meanwhile, said that the country's airspace was not violated during the Russian attack.
Incursions by Russian munitions into Polish airspace have become increasingly frequent as Russia's war in Ukraine continues, while Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets near the Polish border have intensified in recent weeks.
On Sept. 13, a Russian drone struck a truck about 800 meters (0.5 miles) from the Polish border near the Yahodyn border crossing. The same day, Russian forces struck the locomotive of a passenger train traveling to Warsaw.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki will convene a meeting on Sept. 18 to discuss the country's security situation, Bartosz Grodecki, head of the National Security Bureau, said on Sept. 16, amid heightened tensions between Russia and Poland.
