Polish authorities reported that a Russian ballistic missile crashed within Poland's borders early Thursday, July 30, 2026, during Moscow's overnight attacks on Ukraine. The impact created a crater approximately 10 meters wide near the village of Tarnawa Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship, about 80 to 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who visited the site with defense and interior ministers, stated that "everything points to it being a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, but we do not wish to pre-empt the results of a thorough investigation." Poland's military had scrambled an F-16 fighter jet after radar detected a violation of NATO airspace around 3:40 a.m. local time.

Local residents reported hearing a large explosion around 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), after which police discovered the crater and debris from an unidentified object. No injuries were reported.

The incident occurred amid a massive Russian missile and drone strike targeting Kyiv and nine other regions in Ukraine, including western cities such as Lviv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed "insufficient or delayed" air defense supplies for the deaths of at least eight people and dozens more injured during the attacks.

Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reported that the missile had crossed into Poland, violating NATO airspace. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that about 20 objects were seen near Polish airspace overnight, with pyrotechnical analysis underway to identify the object that fell near Tarnawa Kolonia.

A helicopter located the probable crash site in an undeveloped area near Tarnawa-Kolonia, and a ground search and rescue team was deployed to investigate further. Polish authorities are treating the incident seriously and have convened a coordination team to gather information.

Air raid sirens sounded in Lublin and Krasnystaw due to the Russian airstrikes that killed eight people in neighboring Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 284 drones and 70 missiles, including nine ballistic missiles, intercepting or suppressing most of them.

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