The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, assured this Thursday that a Russian projectile, presumably a missile, has penetrated Polish airspace in the context of a "massive" attack by Moscow against western Ukraine, and has ended up impacting Polish territory.
"During the massive missile attack by Russia against western Ukraine, there was a violation of Polish airspace," he pointed out in a message published on social media, before immediately ordering the holding of an urgent security meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Defense.
Tusk explained that the Polish Armed Forces were ready to shoot down the "missile" if it had maintained its course, and specified that, although definitive confirmation is still pending, initial information suggests it could be a Russian cruise missile Kh-101.
The incident has been recorded in Bilgoraj County, very close to the border with Ukraine. After hearing a loud noise, local police officers located "a crater and remnants of an unidentified object," according to the Ministry of the Interior. For his part, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz linked the incident to the "large-scale war" that Russia is waging in Ukraine.
"We are only meters away from that war. Tonight once again reminds us all that the situation is very serious and represents a threat," warned the Defense Minister, emphasizing the proximity of the conflict to Polish territory.
However, Tusk insisted that the episode is under control and that the Army, the Police, the State Fire Service, and the special services "are working in full coordination." "We maintain permanent contact with the President of the Republic of Poland and NATO command," he stated, highlighting that he is also in communication with the heads of government of other European countries and that "everyone" has expressed "their full solidarity and willingness to provide all possible assistance" to Warsaw.
On the other hand, the government spokesman, Adam Szlapka, noted that the Prime Minister is traveling "to the place where the projectile that violated Polish airspace fell," after having met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the city of Lublin, located near the area where the Russian projectile impact occurred.