Hunting for drones

Poland: House probably hit by NATO missile

After the Russian drones were shot down, the authorities searched for the debris in the affected Polish areas with the help of the civilian population.(Bild: AFP/WOJTEK RADWANSKI)

Images of a damaged house in the Polish village of Wyryki, not far from the border with Belarus, went around the world last week after numerous Russian drones penetrated the NATO country's airspace. The Polish government explained that debris from a downed drone had damaged the roof truss of the house. But now things are looking different. It is likely that a missile from a Western fighter jet hit the house.

According to NATO, Dutch F-35s, Italian aircraft and German Patriot air defense systems were involved in the defensive operation against the unprecedented airspace violation on Wednesday, alongside Polish F-16 fighter jets. A special NATO AWACS aircraft for air surveillance and military tanker and transport aircraft were also involved.

"Everything indicates that this was a missile fired from our aircraft in the defense of Poland," said the coordinator of the Polish secret services, Tomasz Siemoniak, in Warsaw on Thursday. However, the results of the ongoing investigation would have to be awaited to be sure.

Two Polish Air Force F-16 jets(Bild: APA/AFP/RADOSLAW JOZWIAK)

After the Russian drones were shot down, the authorities searched for the debris in the affected Polish areas with the help of the civilian population.(Bild: AFP/WOJTEK RADWANSKI)

850,000 euro missile had control problems
The Polish daily newspaper "Rzeczpospolita" had already reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources in the army, that a Polish AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile fired from an F-16 fighter plane had fallen on the house. The missile, which military experts estimate to be worth 850,000 euros, had a defect in the control system.

Warhead could be defused in time
However, another system that defused the warhead worked perfectly, so that no explosion occurred. The rocket, which was made of metal, punched a hole in the roof and fell into a room on the upper floor. No one was injured by the impact.

Incident triggered dispute between president and prime minister
The newspaper report triggered a conflict between the right-wing conservative President Karol Nawrocki and the center-left government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The President is demanding that the government immediately clarify the events in Wyryki, wrote Nawrocki's Office for National Security on the X platform on Tuesday. No information should be concealed.

President Karol Nawrocki (right) accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk (left) of concealing important information.(Bild: EPA/Albert Zawada)

Prime Minister: "All responsibility lies with Russia"
Prime Minister Tusk reacted sharply. "The entire responsibility for the damage to the house in Vyryki lies with the perpetrators of the drone provocation, i.e. Russia," he wrote on X. The responsible authorities would inform the president and the population once the investigation was complete. "Hands off Polish soldiers," Tusk tweeted.