Russian Kh-101 missile enters Polish airspace before crashing inland

A Russian Kh-101 cruise missile entered Polish airspace on Thursday, traveling for about six minutes before crashing near Tarnawa-Kolonia, roughly 60 miles from the Ukrainian border. NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and Polish defense units activated air and ground defenses, scrambling two Polish F-16 fighters, a NATO A330 refueling aircraft, a Polish Saab 340 early-warning plane and a Mi-24 helicopter.

"NATO is in close contact with the Polish authorities about the violation of Poland's airspace," NATO spokesperson Col. Martin O'Donnell said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, standing at the crash site, said military analysis of the fragments indicated the weapon was a Russian Kh-101 missile, noting the crater measured about 10 metres wide and five metres deep, consistent with the missile’s payload. He added that there was no evidence Poland was deliberately targeted and that Ukrainian jets had tracked and attempted to intercept Russian missiles near the border.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha described the incident as a violation of NATO airspace. The missile’s flight was detected by Polish radars after earlier reports of multiple missile objects over western Ukraine. No comment was received from Russia’s defense ministry or its U.S. embassy.