In brief: Poland summoned Russia’s ambassador after a Kh-101 cruise missile struck its territory during Russia’s overnight barrage that fired roughly 20 missiles towards Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the diplomatic step on Friday, July 31.

July 31, 2026

Poland summoned Russia’s ambassador on Friday, after a Russian cruise missile landed on Polish territory during the previous night’s barrage on Kyiv 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the diplomatic step on X.

According to Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister, Cezary Tomczyk, Polish authorities can now confirm “with full responsibility” that the projectile was a Russian Kh-101, an air-launched cruise missile carried by Russian strategic bombers.

“Today, the Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with the missile that hit Polish territory yesterday,” Tusk wrote.

A similar incident occurred less than a week earlier, prompting Romania to order a Russian embassy employee to leave the country within five days. Over the weekend of July 24-26, Romanian forces scrambled F-16 fighter jets to shoot down three stray Russian drones over three consecutive days.

Romania’s foreign ministry called the decision a “firm response” to drones repeatedly breaching NATO’s airspace.

Kyiv pledges cooperation on the investigation

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski following the missile incident in Poland, pledging that Kyiv would provide all assistance necessary to investigate the incident.

The call signaled improved Kyiv-Warsaw coordination.

On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Tusk in Lublin, marking his first trip to Poland after weeks of strained relations triggered by Ukraine’s decision to grant an unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA,” a reference to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which Poland blames for the mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia during and after World War II.

Poland warns of similar incidents in future

“Situations like this, or provocations of this kind, will happen again. We must build societal resilience,” Tomczyk said, recalling the drones shot down by the Polish military in September 2025 in a similar test of NATO.

On July 22, the UK warned the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that Russia’s missile and drone attacks on Ukraine are increasing the risk of wider escalation across Europe, pointing to repeated violations of neighboring states’ airspace.

Russia’s overnight barrage on Ukraine sent 20 missiles toward Poland

Around 3 a.m., roughly 20 Russian missiles had flown toward Poland as part of a broader overnight attack on Ukraine, in which Russia launched about 70 missiles nationwide.

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed most of the missiles headed towards Poland before they reached its territory, Tomcyzk said. However, one could not be intercepted, even as a Ukrainian fighter pilot tracked it toward the Polish border.

The pilot broke off the pursuit about 20 seconds before the missile would have crossed into Polish airspace, wary that Poland’s own F-16s could mistake him for a threat.

The missile struck the Lublin region, with footage circulating online capturing the moment of impact.

According to Tomczyk, Polish forces monitored the situation from the moment the missiles were launched over Ukrainian territory, tracking the threat’s trajectory in real time. Reportedly, Poland had been prepared to shoot the missile down had it stayed on course.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/81498