Russian military drone crashes in eastern Poland, defense minister says

Let's begin in Europe, where Poland says a Russian drone has crashed in its territory. Tell us more.

Poland's defense minister said that an object that crashed and exploded in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone.

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Poland's Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the military drone which crashed earlier that day was a Russian provocation during peace negotiations.

At around 2 AM on August 20, a drone crashed and detonated in a cornfield near Osiny in Lublin province. The explosion shattered nearby windows but did not cause any injuries. An area of 8 to 10 meters around the crash site was burned.

Poland's defense minister stated that the drone was Russian and likely a variant of the Shahed model equipped with a Chinese engine, which may have been designed to self-destruct mid-air.

He called the incident a deliberate provocation by Russia amidst ongoing peace talks regarding Ukraine.

Since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people, Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace.