Russia Breaches Polish Airspace Amid Massive Aerial Attack on Ukraine

The Polish military has reported a breach of the country’s airspace during Russia’s missile and drone attack on Ukraine on the morning of August 26.

According to RMF24, Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command confirmed that an “aerial object” entered Polish territory near the Ukrainian town of Chervonohrad during the morning assault. The object, which is not believed to be a missile, was detected by at least three radar stations.

General Maciej Klisz stated that the object is likely a drone, and efforts to locate it on Polish territory are ongoing. It is suspected that the drone may have crashed near the town of Tyszowce, located about 30 kilometers from the Polish-Ukrainian border.

This incident follows a pattern of increased vigilance in Polish airspace during Russian attacks on Ukraine. Earlier, Poland again scrambled its military aircraft during a large-scale Russian missile strike. This standard procedure has been in place since a previous incident on March 24, when a Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace near the village of Osierdów in Lublin Voivodeship, remaining there for 39 seconds.

Poland’s Defense Minister later stated that Polish forces would have intercepted the missile if there had been any indication it was targeting Polish territory.

This airspace violation occurred during a massive Russian attack on 15 regions of Ukraine, which targeted critical energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the morning attack as one of the largest combined strikes, involving over 100 missiles and about 100 Shahed drones. The strikes caused significant damage to infrastructure across the country, leading to widespread power outages and casualties in multiple regions. Restoration efforts are underway.