A drone which crashed in a cornfield in Poland smashing windows in nearby houses was Russian. The NATO country’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, confirmed the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was Russian during a press conference late on Wednesday.
The drone smashed into the field and exploded in the east of the country early on the same day. Local media outlet, PAP, reported that there were no injuries. Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz said: “This was another provocation carried out by the Russian Federation, it was a Russian drone.”
Poland’s defence minister was quoted by Euronews as adding: “Note that it happened in a particular moment, as peace talks are ongoing and there are hopes for the end to the war that Russia declared against the state of Ukraine, but which also challenges the security of the NATO member states. In such a moment Russia provokes again.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the media the drone was a Russian version of the Shahed model. Poland’s military said the unmanned aircraft included a Chinese engine.
Police said they received reports of the crash at around 2am local time and found burned metal as well as plastic debris at the scene near the village of Osiny.
Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said on Wednesday that there were no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus recorded overnight.
Officials had initially suggested the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller.
Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters civilian and military investigators have been examining the crash site.
Poland has seen a number of airspace incursions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.
News of the latest incursion in Poland comes as the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched one of its biggest aerial attacks this year at Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles.
The attack mostly targeted western regions of the country, according to the air force. These regions are where much of the military aid provided by Ukraine’s Western allies is believed to be delivered and stored. Officials said the strikes killed at least one person and injured 15 others.
It was Russia’s third largest aerial attack this year in terms of the number of drones fired and the eighth-largest in terms of missiles, according to official figures.
The strikes happened during renewed US-led efforts to reach a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump discussed the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week. At the start of this week Mr Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House.
Ukraine and European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in the ongoing peace efforts, including Ukraine’s proposal of a ceasefire and Mr Zelensky’s offer to sit down with the Russian leader.
Mr Zelenskyy condemned the overnight attack, saying it was carried out “as if nothing were changing at all”. Ukraine’s leader said Moscow has shown no signs of pursuing meaningful negotiations to end the war.