A residential building in the village of Wyryki Wola in eastern Poland was likely hit by a missile fired from a Polish F-16 fighter, not by a Russian drone, officials and analysts say.
On the night of Sept. 10, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a major Russian attack on Ukraine. NATO aircraft reportedly shot down at least four drones, while the rest apparently crashed without causing damage except for the Wyryki Wola home.
Polish intelligence coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak told TVN on Thursday that available information suggests an interceptor missile is to blame.
“Everything indicates that this was a missile fired by our aircraft in defense of Poland, in defense of our homeland, in defense of our citizens,” Siemoniak said.
He added that the military will cover the damage to the home.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the drone incursion a “large-scale provocation” by Russia and said Moscow is ultimately responsible for the incident.
Damage from a kinetic impact with no detonation
The Polish news outlet Rzeczpospolita reported that both Polish F-16s and Dutch F-35s engaged the incoming drones.
Experts told the paper that the strike on the Wyryki Wola home was caused by an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which experienced a guidance malfunction and did not explode.
Lt. Col. Maciej Korowaj, a former military intelligence officer, said the damage was from a kinetic impact with no detonation.
Agnieszka Kępka, spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin, said the incident remains under investigation, pending a military weapons expert’s assessment.
Russia denies involvement
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that “no targets on Polish territory were planned,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry denied involvement.
“The maximum range of the Russian drones allegedly crossing into Poland does not exceed 700 kilometers [435 miles],” the Russian ministry said in a statement following the incursion.
According to AP News, one of the drones that traveled farthest inland was found in Mniszków, a village southeast of Łódź, about 260 kilometers (161 miles) from the Belarusian border – within the range stated by Moscow.
While the specific drones that entered Poland remain unconfirmed, Moscow’s preferred Shahed/Geran drones used against Ukraine can reach up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).
Drone incursion triggers NATO response
Warsaw invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, calling for consultations on threats to national security. NATO launched Operation “Eastern Shield” to strengthen defenses on its eastern flank, and Polish President Karol Nawrocki authorized NATO troop deployments in Poland.
Tusk warned that “the line has been crossed” and said Poland is now “closer to a military conflict than at any time since World War II.”