Warsaw: Poland has said that an unidentified object targeting Ukraine entered Polish airspace and crashed near Lublin overnight into Thursday, triggering an explosion and leaving behind a 10-metre wide crater.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the violation of Polish airspace took place during the Russian missile attack on Ukraine.
"During the Russian massive missile attack on western Ukraine, a violation of Polish airspace occurred. In connection with this, I have convened a coordination team with the participation of the Minister of Defence and the relevant services, which have been working on-site for many hours and are systematically providing me with information about all the circumstances of the incident," Tusk posted on X.
According to police, people living in Tarnawa Kolonia said that they heard an explosion at about 4 am (local time) on Thursday that shook the windows of their homes, Euro News reported.
Police found a 10-metre-wide crater and debris from a "non-identified object" in the field, about 10 kilometres away from the homes.
Poland's armed forces command said that an Mi-24 helicopter flew over the site and reported the probable impact place of the object on unbuilt land. Polish authorities have not reported any casualties due to the explosion, Euro News reported.
European Council President Antonio Costa said that Polish airspace was violated during Russia's massive strike against Ukraine. He expressed solidarity with Ukrainian and Polish authorities working to protect the people of the country.
"Last night, Russia launched a massive combined strike against Ukraine. During the attack, Polish airspace was also violated, underlining once again that Russia’s aggression is a threat to the security of Europe as a whole," Costa posted on X.
"My thoughts are with the victims of these attacks. The European Union stands in full solidarity with the Ukrainian and Polish authorities working tirelessly to protect and defend their citizens. We are stepping up our support to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, including anti-missile and anti-drone capabilities. Europe will continue to stand united in the face of this aggression," he added.
--IANS
