'Powerful explosion' occurs near Polish border amid Russian drone attack on western Ukraine, Tusk says
The threat of another Russian incursion into Polish airspace prompted the Polish Air Force to scramble fighter jets.
A Russian jet-powered drone crashed or struck a target approximately 4 kilometers from the Polish border during an attack on western Ukraine on September 17, according to Polish authorities. Ukrainian monitoring channels and the Air Force reported the drone was flying from Rivne Oblast towards Volyn Oblast, which borders Poland to the west.
This prompted the Polish Air Force to scramble fighter jets, and residents of counties in the Lublin and Podkarpackie districts received government alerts about a potential air attack. Airports in Lublin and Rzeszow temporarily suspended flight operations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the Russian attack on the western part of Ukraine had ended, stating that very close to the Polish border, a gas station was probably attacked again.
Tusk emphasized that there was a very powerful explosion near Dorohusk. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine denied reports of a Russian drone striking a border crossing with Poland during the attack, while Polish authorities stated that the country's airspace was not violated. Russian munitions entering Polish airspace have become more frequent as Russia's war in Ukraine continues, and Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets near the Polish border have intensified in recent weeks.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki will convene a meeting on September 18 to discuss the country's security situation amid heightened tensions between Russia and Poland.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
