Russian Drones That Entered Poland Were Carrying Polish SIM Cards, Investigation Finds

Polish investigators found SIM cards belonging to Polish mobile operators inside some of the Russian Gerbera drones that violated Poland’s airspace during a large-scale Russian strike on Ukraine in September 2025, according to RMF24 on October 8.

The finding emerged after Polish prosecutors completed their investigation into the incident, which saw Russian drones penetrate NATO airspace during the night of September 9-10.

Prosecutors have not disclosed how the Polish SIM cards ended up inside the Russian UAVs, including whether they were stolen, purchased through intermediaries, or obtained illegally through another method. That part of the investigation remains classified.

The presence of local SIM cards is particularly notable because unmanned systems can use cellular connectivity for communications, telemetry, navigation support, or other data functions, depending on how the aircraft is configured.

Polish prosecutors ultimately closed the investigation after failing to identify a specific individual directly responsible for the airspace violation. Investigators nevertheless concluded that Poland’s armed forces acted in accordance with established procedures during the incident and were legally authorized to destroy hostile drones entering the country’s airspace.

The incursion occurred during one of Russia’s largest aerial attacks against Ukraine at the time. Polish forces detected the first airspace violation at around 11:14 pm on September 9, while the final intrusion was recorded at approximately 6:30 am the following morning.

On September 12, Marcin Przydacz, head of the Polish president’s International Policy Bureau, said information available to the presidential office indicated that 21 drones had crossed the Polish border.

Authorities later found wreckage from intercepted or crashed drones across several parts of the country, including the Lublin, Masovian, and Łódź regions. One falling object damaged a residential building, although no deaths or injuries were reported.

Earlier, reports emerged that the Kremlin had been preparing for cross-border attacks since at least July 2025, when Polish SIM cards were discovered inside Russian drones shot down in Ukraine.

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