A Russian missile exploded in a field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in eastern Poland early Thursday, prompting accusations of airspace violation and triggering Nato air defences. The incident occurred during a massive Russian air raid on Ukraine that killed at least 13 people, including two children.
Missile Creates 10-Metre Crater in Polish Field
Polish authorities reported that the explosion created a 10-metre-wide crater about 50 miles from the Ukrainian border. Residents of Tarnawa-Kolonia heard the blast at approximately 4am, which shook the windows of their homes, according to police. The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, visited the scene and stated that recovered fragments pointed to a Russian KH-101 missile. “From the analysis of most of the traces, the recovered fragments point to a Russian KH-101 missile,” Tusk told journalists. He added there was no indication Poland was the target, but the military was prepared to shoot it down if it threatened a populated area.
Nato and EU Condemn Violation
Nato’s supreme allied commander for Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, said: “Nato will continue to take all necessary measures to defend Nato territory.” The EU council president, António Costa, posted on X: “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.” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called the incident another “unacceptable violation” of EU airspace.
Ukraine Suffers Deadly Strikes Across the Country
At least 13 people died in Thursday’s attacks across Ukraine, including one in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia appeared to have used a North Korean missile in an attack near Kryvyi Rih, which killed six people, including two girls aged five and 12. “In Radushne, the Russians used a missile from North Korea for the first time in a long time – that is what preliminary data shows,” Zelenskyy said. “The alliance of Moscow bastards with the mad regime in North Korea – for missiles, for the North Korean contingent here in Europe, on our borders, and for the killing of our Ukrainian children.” Another six people, including two children, were killed in Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions. In Lviv, rescue workers cleared rubble after missiles damaged two blocks of flats, injuring 26 people.
Ukraine Strikes Russian Tankers in Black Sea
Ukraine’s drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces struck four Russian tankers in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. He reported that 205 tankers – 130 in the Sea of Azov and 75 in the Black Sea – had been hit in the past three weeks. Russia’s defence ministry claimed its strikes targeted military industrial facilities using land, sea, and air-launched missiles and drones.
