Poland summoned Russia's ambassador to protest a missile that violated the territory of a province in the east of the country. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the summons on Friday (July 31) after Warsaw confirmed that the object that fell in the village of Tarnawa Kolonia, Lublin province, on Thursday was a Russian Kh-101 missile. No casualties were reported.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior said: “The ambassador was informed of our clear condemnation of hostile actions aimed at the security of a sovereign state and its people.” He stressed that escalation at the EU and NATO border is unacceptable, and pointed to the root of the incident as “Russia's invasion of Ukraine.”
This is the latest in a series of incursions along NATO's eastern flank. Drones and missiles have previously entered the territory and airspace of Poland, Romania, and the Baltic states, raising concerns that the conflict in Ukraine could spill over into alliance territory. NATO and European leaders quickly expressed support for Poland and condemned Russia.
According to Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Warsaw determined the missile was produced near Moscow in the second quarter of this year. He wrote on social media: “This means Russia is using newly produced missiles to attack Ukraine. It confirms reports that Russia's wartime arsenal has been depleted.”
Poland considers the missile part of an attack that killed at least 8 civilians and injured more than 50 in Ukraine. A Ukrainian expert who arrived at the scene had “no doubt” about the missile's origin and type, according to Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the Lublin prosecutor's office. Wewior added that this type of missile is used only by Russia's strategic air force.
