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Business Insider
28 minutes ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Poland says air defenses didn't detect a Russian drone entering its airspace, and that it only realized in the morning
Warsaw said on Wednesday that a Russian drone crashed and exploded in a field in eastern Poland, and that the uncrewed system was only discovered the morning after air defenses were activated. No one was injured, but Poland's defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, called the incident a provocation against NATO. "Russia is once again provoking NATO countries following drone incidents that have taken place in Romania, Lithuania, Latvia," he said, accusing the Kremlin of 10 total airspace violations since 2022. In a press conference, officials said the drone likely entered Polish airspace on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Gen. Dariusz Malinowski, deputy commander of Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command, said air defenses were put on alert that evening during one of Russia's nightly drone and missile waves against Ukraine. Warsaw regularly activates its air defenses along its border as a precaution during such attacks, especially after a stray Ukrainian defensive missile killed two Polish citizens in November 2022. Malinowski said Polish air defenses were alerted at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, alongside "standard measures designed to seal our border." "The entire target detection system was activated. In addition, the forces and means for countering missiles were put on combat readiness, and a Mi-24 helicopter was also raised, which patrolled the eastern part, the Ukrainian part of our border," he told reporters. By midnight, the Polish military stood down because it had not detected any abnormalities or threats, Malinowski said. "Nothing had happened that would show us that something was out of the ordinary," he said. But authorities found out in the morning that a drone had exploded in a cornfield in Osiny, a village nearly 70 miles from Poland's border with Ukraine and roughly 400 miles from mainland Russia. "This morning, after sunrise, we received information, as has already been said here, about an object that exploded very close to Łuków," Malinowski said. A stealthy decoy drone with Chinese parts The general said that preliminary investigations indicated the drone was "flying very low" to avoid radar detection. "In our assessment, this drone is designed to be very difficult to detect, and that is indeed the case," he said. However, Malinowski also said that it's still unclear if the drone was flown deliberately into Poland. Neither is it immediately clear exactly when the drone entered Polish airspace. Authorities did not confirm the drone's flight path. A drone launched from mainland Russia would have to pass through either Belarus or Ukraine to enter Polish airspace. Kaliningrad, a militarized Russian exclave, sits directly on Poland's northern border, though it's unclear if investigators think the drone launch may have originated from the region. Malinowski added that while search teams were still collecting the drone's remains, initial evidence pointed to it being equipped with a Chinese engine and a "self-destructive warhead." That could mean the drone was a decoy. Russia commonly deploys the Shahed, a long-range attack drone designed by Iran. One of its locally produced versions, called the Gerbera, is designed to mimic the loitering munition's signature and appearance while carrying a much weaker warhead. Reuters cited a Polish defense ministry spokesperson saying that the crashed drone was a Russian version of the Shahed. Ukrainian forces have long said that they often find Chinese parts within destroyed Russian-produced Shahed drones. European officials also say some Russian and Chinese companies are actively collaborating on the Shahed, helping the Kremlin's forces to vastly improve the loitering munition's attack capabilities. The drone crash comes amid already tense negotiations that the US is trying to broker this month between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. Radosław Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, said in a statement on Wednesday that his country would "protest against the perpetrator." "Another violation of our airspace from the East confirms that Poland's most important mission vis-à-vis NATO is to defend our own territory," Sikorski wrote. The Russian embassy in Warsaw, the Russian defense ministry, and the Russian foreign ministry did not respond to comment requests sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Polish govt says Russian drone fell in country's east
Poland's defence minister says a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland has been identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz accused Russia of provoking the NATO military alliance during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are underway, the country's news agency PAP reported. "Russia is provoking us once again," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, just as peace talks have given hope that the war "has a chance of ending". General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct. He said it had a Chinese engine. Police said they received reports of the crash about 2am on Wednesday and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. The blast broke windows in some nearby houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - were examining the crash site. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is. with Reuters Poland's defence minister says a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland has been identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz accused Russia of provoking the NATO military alliance during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are underway, the country's news agency PAP reported. "Russia is provoking us once again," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, just as peace talks have given hope that the war "has a chance of ending". General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct. He said it had a Chinese engine. Police said they received reports of the crash about 2am on Wednesday and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. The blast broke windows in some nearby houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - were examining the crash site. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is. with Reuters Poland's defence minister says a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland has been identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz accused Russia of provoking the NATO military alliance during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are underway, the country's news agency PAP reported. "Russia is provoking us once again," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, just as peace talks have given hope that the war "has a chance of ending". General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct. He said it had a Chinese engine. Police said they received reports of the crash about 2am on Wednesday and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. The blast broke windows in some nearby houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - were examining the crash site. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is. with Reuters Poland's defence minister says a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland has been identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz accused Russia of provoking the NATO military alliance during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are underway, the country's news agency PAP reported. "Russia is provoking us once again," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, just as peace talks have given hope that the war "has a chance of ending". General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct. He said it had a Chinese engine. Police said they received reports of the crash about 2am on Wednesday and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. The blast broke windows in some nearby houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - were examining the crash site. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is. with Reuters
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Polish govt says Russian drone fell in country's east
Poland's defence minister says a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland has been identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia. At a news conference in Warsaw, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz accused Russia of provoking the NATO military alliance during a crucial moment, as peace talks over the war in neighbouring Ukraine are underway, the country's news agency PAP reported. "Russia is provoking us once again," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, just as peace talks have given hope that the war "has a chance of ending". General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct. He said it had a Chinese engine. Police said they received reports of the crash about 2am on Wednesday and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. The blast broke windows in some nearby houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - were examining the crash site. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is. with Reuters
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Suspected military drone crashes and explodes in eastern Poland
A suspected military drone crashed into a cornfield and exploded in eastern Poland early on Wednesday, the country's news agency PAP reported. Local police said they received reports of the crash around 2 am and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene near the village of Osiny. As a result of the explosion, windows were broken in some houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. "We are tentatively dealing with a military drone. It is most likely that its damage was caused by explosives," Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz, the head of the Lublin Regional Prosecutor's Office, said. Trusiewicz said military experts were analysing the site to determine the quantity of explosives the drone had been carrying. He said civilian use and smuggling had been ruled out. "We have a lot of manpower, we have the army to help us. I hope that we will be able to finish the operation by the evening," Trusiewicz said. Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said in a social media post that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus had been recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. But Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz later said the object was most likely a drone. "We are talking about small objects. Drones are objects that are difficult to detect. For the time being, and I emphasise, for the time being it does not carry signs that clearly indicate a military character," he said. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of incursions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is.
Toronto Sun
16 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
An unidentified flying object has crashed and exploded in Poland's east
An unidentified flying object has crashed and exploded in Poland's east WARSAW, Poland — An unidentified flying object crashed into a cornfield and exploded in eastern Poland early Wednesday, the country's news agency PAP reported. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Local police said they received reports of the crash around 2 a.m. and found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene, near the village of Osiny. As a result of the explosion, windows were broken in some houses but nobody was injured, PAP reported. An unidentified flying object has crashed and exploded in Poland's east Article content Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said Wednesday on social media that no violations of Polish airspace from neighboring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller. Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz later said the object was most likely a drone, adding that an analysis was underway to determine whether it was a military or smuggling one, PAP reported. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators — both civilian and military — were examining the crash site. 'We have a lot of manpower, we have the army to help us. I hope that we will be able to finish the operation by the evening,' Trusiewicz said. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been a number of intrusions into Polish airspace, raising alarm in the European Union and NATO member state and reminding people how close the war is.
