Poland to lodge diplomatic protest after Russian drone crash on its territory

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland will lodge a diplomatic protest after a Russian drone crashed and exploded in a village in the east of the country, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has said.

Sikorski said on Wednesday that the incident marked “another violation of our airspace from the East”, while the foreign ministry spokesman confirmed Poland will raise the matter with its NATO allies.

“The foreign ministry will protest against the perpetrator,” Sikorski wrote on X.

The drone came down overnight in a cornfield in the village of Osiny, around 100 km from the Ukrainian border. The blast broke windows in several houses but caused no injuries.

Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, told a press conference on Wednesday that the drone was Russian, noting that the incident took place amid discussions about potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

“At a time when there is hope that the war Russia has waged against Ukraine has a chance to end, Moscow is again provoking,” he said.

The command of the Polish armed forces initially reported that it had not detected any violation of Polish airspace. However, according to prosecutors, the drone most likely entered from Belarus. Kosniak-Kamysz pointed out that although Poland’s airspace has previously been violated, this was the first incident involving a drone.

In 2022, a missile – most likely launched by Ukrainian air defence systems – exploded in a Polish village near the border with Ukraine, killing two people. A year later, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, flew for 40 km through the country’s territory and probably left its airspace without touching the ground.

Foreign ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński said that Poland plans to send a note of protest to Moscow. “This is a standard procedure that takes place in situations where Polish airspace is violated,” he told broadcaster TVN24.

“We are aware that Russia does not admit that anything produced by it falls on our country’s territory,” he continued.

He added that Poland’s response would not stop there. “We will inform our allies about the whole matter and present all cases of violations of Polish airspace.”

Wroński noted that showcasing examples of violations of Polish airspace is particularly important in the context of recent talks on ending the war. “Here we have clear evidence that Poland is also threatened by this war, that something could happen, people could die, and the security of a member state is at risk,” he said.

Poland was absent from talks in Washington this week between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders. The meeting followed bilateral discussions between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

Poland’s new president, opposition-backed Karol Nawrocki, and the government deflected responsibility over the lack of a Polish representative at the talks. Those who criticised the country’s absence noted that peace in Ukraine is vital to Poland’s security.

Poland borders Ukraine, has been one of its closest allies since Russia’s invasion, and was previously hailed as a “model ally” by Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Jakub Orzechowski / Agencja Wyborcza

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.