23 August 2026

A Russian Kh-101 cruise missile that entered Polish territory in late July may have been deliberately programmed to follow such a route.

Polish military analyst Michał Fiszer wrote about this.

He drew attention to comments by Maj. Gen. Maciej Jabłoński, who said the Kh-101 performed a characteristic ‘hill’ maneuver before striking the ground and entered the ground almost vertically.

Jabłoński also said that “the missile hit exactly where it was supposed to hit.”

According to Fiszer, analysis and laboratory tests are still underway, but preliminary findings support the conclusion that the strike was deliberate with a probability bordering on certainty.

A Tu-95MSM bomber and Kh-101 cruise missiles. Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

The analyst also claims that “there is a recording from the F-16 onboard systems, from which they certainly read the radar tracking data, and the ‘hill’ is elegantly recorded there.”

Fiszer’s theory appears plausible because if the missile had been damaged or lost control due to technical problems, it would likely have continued on an uncontrolled trajectory until its fuel was exhausted or it was shot down.

In such a case, the Kh-101 would not have performed the ‘hill’ maneuver, as such a maneuver is possible only during an approach to a target using preprogrammed coordinates.

The incident occurred during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine on July 30.

Crater left by the explosion of a Kh-101 missile in Poland. July 30, 2026. Photo credits: Onet

That day, a crater caused by the explosion of the warhead of a Russian missile was discovered in a field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in Biłgoraj County, Lublin Voivodeship.

The crash site was 95 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Data from the PPO RADAR and Monitoring channels indicate that the Russian Kh-101 entered Ukrainian airspace over the Sumy region and headed toward western Ukraine. After reaching the Volyn region, it crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border.

Russian Kh-101 Missile That Entered Poland May Have Deliberately Targeted Country