Polish military authorities reported no violations of the country’s airspace following an explosion in a cornfield in eastern Poland that left a large crater and shattered nearby windows.
The incident, currently under investigation by both police and the army, occurred in the village of Osiny in the early hours of Wednesday, August 20. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to affect neighboring Poland, which frequently scrambles fighter jets in response to Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said preliminary radar analysis showed “no violation of Polish airspace was registered last night, either from the direction of Ukraine or Belarus,” according to a statement posted to X, originally in Polish.
Authorities indicated that an object recovered from the blast site “may be a part of an old engine with a propeller,” though a detailed investigation is still underway.
“The personnel of the Republic of Poland’s air defense system maintain round-the-clock observation of Polish airspace, remaining in constant readiness to ensure its security,” the command added.
Newsweek has reached out to the Polish defense ministry for comment.
Charred Fragments Found After ‘Powerful Bang’
Police discovered metal and plastic fragments from an unidentified object in the field after responding to reports of the explosion at around 2 a.m. local time.
Marcin Józwik, a police staff sergeant in Łuków, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the fragments were charred and scattered across the area.
Łuków.TV reported that an object resembling a propeller had been found at the site. The station also shared surveillance footage from a resident showing a bright flash in the night sky, followed by a loud bang.
“A powerful bang woke me up, making the window panes rattle. I looked outside but didn’t see anything. Only in the morning did I notice the lights of police cars,” an unidentified resident told Łuków.TV.
In November 2022, a missile hit a grain facility in southern Poland, killing two people. Investigators later determined it was an air defense missile fired by Ukraine.
Authorities also suspect that debris discovered in an eastern Polish forest in April 2023 came from a Russian Kh-55 cruise missile launched at Ukraine from Belarus.
