Authorities are investigating an unidentified object that came down in the Lublin region overnight. Initial assessments by the Armed Forces Operational Command suggest the debris could be part of an old propeller engine.

The incident occurred in the village of Osiny, Łuków County, where the object landed in a maize field and exploded. 

Shortly after 2 a.m. on Wednesday, local police were alerted to reports of a “blast” in the area. Officers arriving on the scene discovered charred fragments of metal and plastic. The shockwave from the explosion shattered windows in several nearby houses, though no one was injured.

Police confirmed that the case is being handled under the supervision of a prosecutor. The military and relevant agencies have also been notified.

Unofficial defence sources say that a preliminary review indicates there was no breach of Polish airspace on the night in question, either from the direction of Ukraine or Belarus. This would appear to rule out the possibility of a missile or drone entering from across the eastern border.

The Operational Command later confirmed this in a post on its official X profile, reiterating that no airspace violations had been detected. It also reported that the find had been referred to the Air Operations Centre for further analysis.

Military Police units are currently examining the remains, while both air and ground search-and-rescue teams have been deployed to survey the surrounding area.

Speaking at a press conference in Mińsk Mazowiecki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz suggested that the object in question was “most likely a drone that crashed.” 

He explained that explosives experts were examining the remains to establish whether it had been a military device or one used for smuggling.

According to the information he had received so far, there was no immediate indication of military use. Kosiniak-Kamysz cautioned, however, that the possibility of a smuggling drone could not be ruled out, nor could the scenario of sabotage, similar to incidents reported in other countries.

The Defence Minister stressed that police, military police, territorial defence units and regular forces were conducting extensive searches of the area. Helicopters and unmanned aircraft had also been deployed, and he noted that clarification of the case was expected “within hours.”

Source: PAP

Photo: @WarNewsPL1

Tomasz Modrzejewski