• An unidentified flying object crashed in Polish airspace during Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, with no injuries or property damage reported.
• Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the crash site near Lublin, where a crater 10 meters in diameter was found, as investigations continue to identify the object.
• Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the incident, stating that a Russian cruise missile violated NATO airspace, highlighting the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.

An unidentified flying object entered Polish airspace and crashed during heavy Russian airstrikes on neighbouring Ukraine overnight, Poland's military said on Thursday.

The military's supreme command said the object came down in an uninhabited area near the village of Tarnawa Kolonia, south of Lublin, where an air raid alarm sounded early in the morning.

Deputy Defence Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka told Radio Zet that nobody had been injured in the incident and no property had been damaged.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk headed to the crash site together with Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski.

The military said an unidentified object was detected in Polish airspace at around 3:40 am (0140 GMT), moving in a westerly direction. An F-16 fighter jet was scrambled to identify it, but the flying object subsequently disappeared from radar. The crew of a helicopter later identified the crash site.

Lublin police said on X that residents had reported hearing a massive bang in the early hours of the morning. Near Tarnawa Kolonia, officers found a crater 10 metres in diameter.

Kosiniak-Kamysz described it as "an extraordinarily difficult night for our air defence, surveillance and interception systems," with investigations ongoing to identify the object.

Kiev's leadership placed responsibility for the incident on Russia. "Overnight, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Poland as part of Russia's massive strike against Ukraine, violating NATO airspace," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.

"This is yet another clear demonstration that strengthening Ukraine's air defense now is urgent and serves as a guarantee for the protection of the entire Euro-Atlantic community," he added.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Polish airspace has been violated on several occasions.

In September, a large number of drones entered Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine. The Polish air force and other NATO allies shot down some of the projectiles for the first time.