Polish military personnel and police launched a search near the eastern city of Lublin on Sunday, 18 October, after a radar signal and reports from residents raised suspicions that an unidentified object may have entered Polish airspace overnight.
The Polish Armed Forces’ Operational Command said a ground search-and-rescue team had been deployed south of the city to investigate a possible crash site.
The operation involves soldiers from Poland’s Territorial Defence Forces (WOT), the Military Gendarmerie and civilian police.
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However, the military emphasised that there was no confirmed violation of Polish airspace and that the investigation could establish that the radar signal resulted from weather-related interference rather than an actual aircraft or drone.
The incident comes amid renewed Russian aerial attacks against Ukraine, which prompted Poland to activate military aircraft and air-defence measures on Sunday morning.
Radar signal and reports from residents
In its official statement issued on Sunday morning, the Operational Command explained that the search was intended to verify both radar information and reports received from people living near Lublin.
Investigators are attempting to establish whether an unidentified object was present, what type of object it might have been and whether anything fell to the ground.
The military is also examining the possibility that the radar indication was caused by atmospheric conditions or other meteorological anomalies.
Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski, spokesman for the Operational Command, told TVP Info that investigators could not exclude the possibility of a larger drone.
That possibility has not been verified.
According to information obtained by the Polish Press Agency (PAP), police received reports shortly after 2am from residents who said they had heard a loud object flying overhead.
Two reports concerned the area around the Zemborzycki Reservoir, a large artificial lake on Lublin’s southern outskirts.
Another report came from Łęczna County, east of the city.
Senior Superintendent Anna Kamola, spokeswoman for the Lublin regional police headquarters, confirmed that officers were searching the relevant areas with military personnel.
According to her account reported by PAP, nothing had been found at the locations searched when she provided the information.
The military’s ground search-and-rescue team was deployed to investigate the possibility that an object had fallen somewhere south of Lublin.
Local outlet Lublin112 reported that personnel were searching near Krężnicka Street and that a section of a field had been cordoned off.
The cordon itself does not establish that an object crashed there.
Military has not confirmed an airspace violation
The Operational Command stressed that the circumstances remained uncertain.
The radar indication is being analysed alongside eyewitness reports, but investigators have not established that a foreign drone, missile or other aircraft entered Polish territory.
The military has not publicly identified the object’s possible origin, flight path or purpose.
Officials have also not confirmed that any debris has been recovered.
The Operational Command said it was continuing to monitor the situation and would release further information once the checks were completed.
The distinction is important because the presence of an unusual radar signal does not, by itself, establish an unlawful incursion.
Polish aircraft activated during Russian attacks on Ukraine
Separately, Polish military aircraft were conducting preventive operations on Sunday in response to Russian attacks against targets in Ukraine.
In a statement reported by Reuters, Poland’s Armed Forces said the operations were intended to safeguard Polish airspace, particularly in regions close to areas exposed to aerial threats.
The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency also announced that airports in Lublin and Rzeszów had temporarily suspended flight operations to allow military aircraft to operate.
The Government Security Centre (RCB), Poland’s national emergency-warning authority, separately issued an alert to residents of the Lublin region during the Russian attacks.
According to PAP reporting, that early-morning alert was withdrawn shortly before 7am local time.
These measures formed part of Poland’s response to Russian strikes against Ukraine. They do not independently confirm that the unidentified object being investigated near Lublin crossed the Polish border.
Lithuania reports separate aerial incident
The developments in Poland coincided with an airspace incident in neighbouring Lithuania.
Lithuanian authorities instructed residents in parts of the country to seek shelter after an unidentified flying object was detected on Sunday morning.
According to Reuters’ reporting from Vilnius, NATO air-policing aircraft were deployed, and Kaunas Airport temporarily suspended operations.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the object was probably a drone that had entered from the direction of Poland.
He also said he had proposed a joint investigation with his Polish counterpart.
Lithuanian authorities subsequently investigated possible drone debris near the village of Juodzionys in the country’s north.
The object’s origin and precise circumstances remain under investigation.
There is currently no verified evidence establishing that the object reported in Lithuania was the same as the one being investigated near Lublin.
Poland faces continuing airspace security concerns
Poland shares a long eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus, placing it close to areas affected by Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine.
The country’s armed forces regularly activate additional surveillance and defensive measures when Russian strikes occur near NATO territory.
Previous incidents have demonstrated the potential risks.
In September 2025, numerous unmanned aircraft entered Polish airspace during a major incident that prompted an extensive military response.
The Lublin District Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on 8 October 2026 that the subsequent investigation had examined incursions involving several dozen foreign drones, with evidence discovered across 24 localities.
That earlier incident is separate from Sunday’s investigation.
For the current search, the central questions remain whether an object actually entered Polish airspace, whether anything fell near Lublin and whether investigators can identify its origin.
The Operational Command has said further information will follow once the circumstances have been established.
