According to the US website The War Zone and Russian news agency TASS on the 16th, Polish President Nikolaj Nawrotsky demanded a swift investigation into reports that an air-to-air missile launched by a Polish F-16 fighter jet during a drone incursion into Polish airspace last week experienced a mid-flight guidance system malfunction, crashing into and destroying a residential building.
TASS reported that Poland’s Rzeczpospolita newspaper recently cited sources as saying that the object that landed on a residential building in Poland on the night of September 10th was an interceptor missile from a Polish F-16 fighter jet. During the drone incursion into Polish airspace last week, an F-16 fighter jet launched an AIM-120C-7 medium-range air-to-air missile at a drone. The missile deviated from its trajectory and caused damage. A source in the Polish National Security Agency revealed that the missile’s guidance system malfunctioned during flight, but due to the activation of a safety feature, it failed to detonate properly. A former Polish military intelligence official stated that the damage to the house was caused by kinetic impact.
The “War Zone” website mentioned that from a political and security perspective, a spokesman for the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration said on the 10th that “the wreckage of seven drones and a missile of unknown origin were found.”
In response to the above reports, Poland’s National Security Agency (BBN) stated on the social media platform X that Nawrotsky “expects the government to swiftly investigate the matter. The government has a responsibility to use all tools and institutions to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.” BBN is working to verify Polish media reports regarding the accidental strike of an AIM-120C-7 medium-range air-to-air missile. BBN also expressed shock that the government has not received official information on the incident. “The president stated that neither he nor BBN was informed of the incident, and that the matter was not raised or clarified at the National Security Council.”
According to reports, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk issued a statement on the 16th blaming Russia for the destruction of the house. Tusk claimed that whatever happened, the Russian government was ultimately responsible for the sabotage because it was the one that launched the drone. Tusk also stated that the relevant authorities will inform the public, the government, and the president of the full circumstances of the incident after the investigation is completed.
On the night of September 9th, local time, a large number of drones entered Polish airspace, prompting the Polish military to respond and shoot down some of them. Poland claimed the drones were from Russia. Russia denied this claim and stated its readiness to consult with the Polish Ministry of Defense. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated the 10th, saying that despite the apparent contradictions in the Polish accusations, the Russian Ministry of Defense has expressed its willingness to hold consultations with the Polish Ministry of Defense on this matter to fully clarify the truth of the incident for all parties interested in preventing further escalation of the situation, and that the Russian Ministry of Defense is willing to contribute to this effort.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also released the latest notice on the same day, stating that over the past day and night, Russian armed forces, using high-precision weapons and drones, carried out large-scale strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises in Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr oblasts, as well as the cities of Vinnytsia and Lviv, hitting all targets. The statement added that Russia had no plans to strike targets in Poland.
