Russian missile creates 10‑meter crater near Polish border as Kiev attacked

Polish police reported a loud explosion near the village of Tarnawa‑Kolonia, about 75 km from the Ukrainian border, on the morning of 30 July. The blast left a 10‑meter-wide crater in a field and scattered debris from an unidentified object. Authorities said the incident occurred after a large‑scale Russian missile and drone strike on western Ukraine, prompting Poland – a NATO member – to deploy combat aircraft to protect its airspace. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak‑Kamysz described the night as “extremely difficult” for Poland’s air‑defence system, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that “there has been a violation of Poland's airspace.”

At the same time, multiple explosions were recorded in Kiev, Poltava and Kryvyi Rih as Ukraine issued a widespread air‑raid alert. Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters after missile fragments caused fires in several Kiev districts. No casualties have been confirmed. President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier warned that Russia was preparing a large‑scale attack and called on allies to provide additional air‑defence missiles.