Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Poland protests to Russia over missile incursion
Poland handed Russia's ambassador a note of protest on Friday over a missile incursion into eastern Poland a day earlier, the foreign ministry said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior said the ambassador was told of Poland's “unequivocal condemnation” of what it called hostile actions against the security of a sovereign state and its citizens. Wewior said any escalation at the border of the European Union and NATO was unacceptable, and said the root of the incident was Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk had earlier said the ambassador was summoned “in connection with the missile that hit Polish territory yesterday”. The missile left a crater in a field near Tarnawa Kolonia, about 80 kilometres from Poland's border with Ukraine.
NATO and European leaders blamed Russia for the explosion of a Kh-101 missile in the field, which shook residents of the village.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that the missile was manufactured in the second quarter of this year at a factory near Moscow. Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the Lublin prosecutor's office, said a Ukrainian expert who arrived at the scene “did not have the slightest doubt” about the missile's origins or model.
Wewior said the Kh-101 type is used exclusively by Russian strategic aviation.
Poland had said on Thursday that fragments from the missile pointed to a Russian Kh-101 fired during Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine. Tusk said earlier there was no reason to think Poland had been the target.
The incident took place as Russia carried out a large overnight attack on Ukraine, including the Lviv region near the Polish border. Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 74 missiles and 284 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people.
Update
Poland's foreign ministry handed Russia's ambassador a note of protest on Friday.
Foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior said Poland condemned what it called hostile actions against a sovereign state and its citizens.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the missile was manufactured in the second quarter of the year at a factory near Moscow.
A Lublin prosecutor's office spokesman said a Ukrainian expert at the scene had no doubt about the missile's origins or model.
Wewior said the Kh-101 type is used exclusively by Russian strategic aviation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 15:22:00 UTC.
Update
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland summoned the Russian ambassador over the missile incursion.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 12:54:05 UTC.
Update
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said two objects had violated Polish airspace, one definitely and another as a very brief signal near the border.
Tusk chaired a crisis unit meeting in Lublin with the defence and interior ministers.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Russian strikes on Ukraine and the violation of Polish airspace.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the Russian attack and said the EU was helping Ukraine win the war.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 15:53:09 UTC.
Update
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X that the suspected Russian missile crash in eastern Poland showed Russia's recklessness and readiness to escalate.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 14:21:56 UTC.
Update
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said recovered fragments pointed to a Russian Kh-101 missile.
Tusk said there was no reason to think Poland was the target.
Tusk said one object definitely violated Polish airspace and another signal appeared briefly near the Polish border.
NATO said Poland and the alliance activated air and ground defences in response to the missile entering Polish airspace.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the violation of Polish airspace.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 14:01:55 UTC.
Update
NATO said it was in close contact with Warsaw after the missile crash in Poland.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 13:18:03 UTC.
Update
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the missile that fell in eastern Poland was likely Russian.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 10:51:23 UTC.
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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Poland during Russia's overnight strike on Ukraine, violating NATO airspace.
Poland's defence minister was expected to go to the scene with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Polish authorities had not immediately identified the cause of the crater.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 09:21:28 UTC.
Update
Polish police said residents near Lublin heard an explosion at about 4:00 am and officers found debris from an unidentified object in a field.
Poland's armed forces command said an Mi-24 helicopter reported the probable impact place of the object on unbuilt land.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk was expected to go to the scene of the explosion.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 08:40:01 UTC.
Update
The EU condemned the new Russian strikes in Ukraine.
The EU said Polish airspace had been violated.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 08:17:04 UTC.
Update
Ukrainian authorities now say six members of one family killed near Kryvyi Rig were three adults and three children.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said two more children were pulled alive from the house rubble.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 74 missiles and 284 drones, and that Ukraine intercepted 55 missiles and 265 drones.
Officials said at least 31 people were wounded in attacks on Lviv.
Russia's defence ministry said it hit Ukrainian military-industrial, military communications and logistics targets.
Polish police said they found a 10-metre-wide crater in a field likely caused by a projectile, after the operational command detected an unidentified object that dropped off radar.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 08:08:58 UTC.
Update
Authorities said Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine and wounded more than a dozen others.
Local officials said a ballistic missile struck a village house near Kryvyi Rig, killing four adults and two girls aged five and 12.
Kryvyi Rig's defence council said eight other people were wounded and warned the death toll could rise.
Officials in Poltava region said one person was killed in a drone strike on a warehouse.
Officials said at least 15 people were wounded in attacks on Lviv.
Kyiv authorities said one person was killed and two wounded in the capital, with five other people reported wounded in an eastern Kyiv district.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 04:10:09 UTC.
Update
Kyiv city military authorities said at least one death had been confirmed.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported fires in several districts of the city.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 00:32:34 UTC.
Update
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was being attacked with ballistic weapons and told residents to stay in shelters.
Klitschko said the threat of further attack remained.
President Volodymyr Zelensky repeated his request for allies to supply missiles for Ukraine's air defence systems.
Zelensky said he discussed the possibility of Ukraine producing Patriot interceptors with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 22:37:18 UTC.
Update
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would likely carry out another massive attack overnight.
The head of Kyiv’s military administration warned of the threat of ballistic weapon use and urged people to take shelter.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 22:24:41 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source item did not include a Russian response to Poland's protest.
Polish authorities previously reported a second brief signal near the border, but traces were found for one object.
Source
AFP news report published on .