Poland Ends Russian Drone Probe After Failing to Identify Perpetrator

Polish prosecutors have closed an investigation into last year’s mass Russian drone incursion after failing to identify who ordered or directed the operation, while investigators found Polish SIM cards in some of the drones.The military section of the Lublin District Prosecutor’s Office discontinued the investigation into the violation of Polish airspace, prosecutor Marcin Kozak told Rzeczpospolita.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Most of the case files, including the reasoning behind the decision, remain classified.“The investigation was discontinued because the perpetrator of the crime involving the violation of Polish airspace and thereby creating a threat to public safety was not identified,” Kozak said.The investigation concerned the overnight incursion of more than 30 Russian Gerbera drones into Polish airspace on Sept. 9-10, 2025. The drones entered Poland from the east and were found in 27 locations across the country.The investigation sought to determine who was personally responsible for directing the operation. Prosecutors ultimately could not identify the person responsible, leading to the case being closed.The circumstances surrounding the operation remain partly classified.Polish SIM cards found in some dronesInvestigators also found SIM cards belonging to Polish mobile operators in some of the drones, according to the report.The investigation did not establish publicly whether the cards had been stolen or obtained through illegal purchases. That part of the case remains classified. Other Topics of Interest Russia Is Targeting Kyiv’s Bridges: How Resilient Are They? Russia’s attacks on Kyiv bridges have become a new challenge, with the city’s logistics disrupted. The finding is not entirely new: Ukrainian defense analysts had previously reported the discovery of Polish and Lithuanian SIM cards in Russian drones found in Ukraine. Rzeczpospolita reported that at least one previously identified card belonged to T-Mobile Poland.Polish military cleared over responseAnother key finding of the investigation concerns the Polish military’s response to the drone attack. Prosecutors concluded that the armed forces responded properly and followed the applicable procedures, having the right to shoot down hostile objects.“The use of weapons was authorized and justified. This part of the investigation was discontinued after it was determined that there were no grounds to establish a prohibited act, meaning no crime,” prosecutor Marcin Kozak said.He declined to disclose which specific unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down.The investigation also established that missiles were launched from fighter aircraft to destroy some of the incoming drones. According to the prosecutors, an incident involving “an explosion of explosive material contained in missiles fired, on the decision of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, from combat aircraft” occurred in Poland’s Lublin region.The missiles missed their intended targets and unintentionally struck a field in the village of Choiny and a forest plot in Krzywowierzbie Kolonia, as per the report.Separately, prosecutors discontinued an investigation into a missile that struck a residential building in Wyryki, also in the Lublin region. Rzeczpospolita reported that an allied missile fired by a Dutch F-35 pilot at an incoming drone destroyed the house.Investigators concluded that the pilot had acted within the scope of his authority, although the investigation did not establish whether the incident resulted from human error or a technical failure.Investigators examine possible motive behind drone incursionAnother unresolved question is why the Russian drones entered Polish airspace in the first place.According to Rzeczpospolita, the answer is contained in a classified section of the investigation. The newspaper reported, citing its sources, that investigators are leaning toward the assessment that the drones were deliberately launched to test Poland’s air-defense procedures and force NATO and Ukrainian systems to expend missiles.Most of the drones were reportedly unarmed and did not carry warheads or explosives. However, the investigation has not publicly established what payloads, if any, were carried by the drones that were shot down. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.