The Polish Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal protest with Russia following the explosion of an unmanned aerial vehicle in the village of Osiny, eastern Poland, on the night of 19–20 August. The note of protest was delivered to the Russian embassy in Warsaw, ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński confirmed.
According to Wroński, the document accuses Moscow of breaching the 1992 Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation, the 1944 Chicago Convention on international civil aviation, as well as established norms of customary international law.
“The ministry views this incident as a deliberate provocation by the Russian Federation, part of a broader pattern of hybrid warfare and another highly unfriendly act directed not only against Poland but against Europe as a whole,” he told reporters.
Poland has demanded an explanation from Moscow and an immediate halt to similar provocations. The Foreign Ministry stressed that the incident undermines Russia’s credibility as a partner in any peace process or within the international community more broadly.
The note, delivered in Warsaw, is also to be translated and forwarded to Moscow. Asked about the likely Russian response, Wroński noted that similar cases in the past had been dismissed by Russia, which typically denies responsibility and claims there is no proof its equipment was involved.
Warsaw has briefed its allies about the incident, stressing that the blast demonstrates that the war in Ukraine poses risks not only to Kyiv but also to NATO citizens.
“Europe is beginning to realise this is not a distant conflict,” Wroński added.
In a subsequent written statement, the ministry described the Osiny explosion as “yet another deliberate provocation forming part of the Russian Federation’s hybrid tactics against Poland and other European nations.”
It strongly condemned any actions by Russia that endanger civilians, infrastructure or aviation safety, and urged Moscow to clarify how a drone entered Polish airspace and what measures it would take to prevent such incidents in future.
The ministry reiterated that responsibility for the consequences of such actions rests solely with Russia, which continues its aggressive war against Ukraine in defiance of international law and humanitarian principles.
The incident occurred overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. At dawn, residents reported that an unidentified object had crashed into a maize field near Osiny in Łuków county, exploding on impact and shattering windows in three nearby homes.
By Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed the object was a Russian drone. He described the explosion as a provocation timed deliberately to coincide with ongoing international discussions on peace in Ukraine. The matter is now under investigation by the Polish military and prosecutors.
Source: PAP
Photo: @KrukuOne
Tomasz Modrzejewski
