A Russian cruise missile struck Polish territory during overnight attacks on Ukraine, creating a 10-meter-wide crater near the village of Tarnawa Kolonia, approximately 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that early indications suggest the missile was a Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile, marking the first time a Russian projectile has actually hit Polish soil during the war.
The incident occurred as Russia conducted large-scale strikes across Ukrainian cities, including the western city of Lviv. The attack killed at least eight civilians in Ukraine, including three children. At least six people died in a village near the central city of Kryvyi Rih, including a six-year-old girl and two boys aged 11 and 17.
Polish defense minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that the Kh-101 was "the most probable hypothesis" regarding the projectile. Russia fired between 20 and 22 of these missiles at Ukraine during the overnight assault. Polish air force officials identified two missiles as potential threats to Polish territory. An F-16 fighter jet was scrambled to monitor one missile and observed its crash in an uninhabited area.
Tusk stressed that "there are no reasons to think Poland was the intended target for this missile." He noted that Poland's air force was prepared to shoot down the missile if it had threatened inhabited areas. Tusk emphasized that Poland suffered no casualties or significant damage from the incident.
The strike raises questions about NATO's collective defense obligations, though Polish officials have treated previous airspace violations as accidents rather than deliberate attacks. In November 2022, a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile accidentally strayed into Poland and killed two people. In December 2022, an unarmed Russian cruise missile briefly entered Polish airspace.
Tusk linked the incident to Ukraine's air defense shortages, saying "If the Ukrainians had much more of what they've been asking for all along, perhaps that ballistic missile wouldn't have been launched toward Poland." He called the next 100 days critical for Ukraine's outcome, describing it as a "50/50 chance."
Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned against disinformation, noting that Kh-101 missiles are exclusively used by Russia's strategic air force. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Russian strikes on Ukraine and the airspace violation, pledging continued support for both Ukraine and Poland.
Ukraine has requested to join the Polish investigation into the incident, which officials say will be mapped and examined in detail. The US has expressed interest in participating in the investigation as well. Polish officials have maintained regular contact with NATO allies regarding the incident.