Poland says Russian missile breached its airspace and crashed near Lublin

Poland says a Russian missile struck its territory during overnight strikes by Moscow on Ukraine, leaving a large crater in a field near Lublin but causing no injuries, authorities reported on July 30, 2026.

Polish police and military teams inspected a roughly 10-metre-wide crater in a field near Tarnawa Kolonia, about 80 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, and recovered fragments of an unidentified object. Officials said the impact happened during a wave of Russian attacks that also targeted western Ukrainian cities such as Lviv.

Polish leaders and Kyiv call for urgent air-defence measures

Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to the site accompanied by the defence and interior ministers. In a post on the platform X before leaving for the scene he wrote: "During the massive Russian missile attack on western Ukraine, there was a violation of Polish airspace. In connection with this, I convened a coordination team with the participation of the defence minister and the competent services, who for many hours have been working on the ground and systematically informing me about all circumstances of the incident."

At the site in Lublin, Tusk added: "Everything indicates that this is a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, but we do not want to prejudge the results of the thorough investigation." Polish authorities said residents reported a loud blast that shook windows at about 04:00 local time, and a military helicopter later confirmed debris at the location.

Polish air defences scrambled an F-16 shortly after radar systems registered an airspace incursion at about 03:40, officials said. Although the object's origin has not been formally authenticated, Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X that "a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile entered Poland" and violated NATO airspace. Sybiha also warned that "this is yet another clear demonstration that strengthening Ukrainian air defences is urgently needed and represents a guarantee for protecting the entire Euro-Atlantic community."

Throughout the four-year war, Russian aircraft, drones and missiles have on multiple occasions crossed into the airspace of NATO member states, raising concerns in capitals across Europe about the risks of escalation and the need for bolstered regional air-defence capabilities.

Photo: press material from the event