‘We Were Ready to Shoot It Down’: Tusk Says Russian Kh-101 Missile Entered Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that all available evidence indicated a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile had violated Polish airspace during Moscow’s large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine.“We were ready to shoot down the missile if it had continued its flight,” Tusk said in comments released by his office, according to the Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Everything indicates that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.”Tusk said Poland’s armed forces and pilots had responded “very quickly and effectively” to the incident. Polish military aircraft had been scrambled during the Russian attack to protect the NATO member’s airspace.Before the alert was issued, the Polish military scrambled fighter jets and deployed an airborne early warning aircraft to monitor the situation as Russian long-range bombers carried out strikes against Ukraine. Poland scrambled F-16 fighter jets overnight after an unidentified object entered its airspace during Russia’s latest missile attack on Ukraine.Polish authorities later confirmed what appears to be an impact site near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin region. Prime… pic.twitter.com/Jpyna6ItSP— KyivPost (@KyivPost) July 30, 2026 Ground-based air defense systems and radar units were also placed on heightened readiness, Poland’s military said.The missile fell near Tarnawa-Kolonia in Poland’s eastern Lublin province. No casualties or material damage were initially reported, according to the prime minister.“Since the early morning hours, we have all been highly mobilized. During Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine, a serious incident also occurred in Poland.”Polish authorities are continuing to examine the object and the circumstances surrounding its entry into the country. Other Topics of Interest US, French Intelligence Helps Ukraine Plan Deep Strikes on Russia Ukrainian officials said intelligence provided by the US and France has helped map Russian air-defense deployments and identify routes for drones to reach targets deep inside Russia. Tusk traveled to Lublin with Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński to join a coordination meeting with Polish security services.The incident occurred as Russia launched another large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight. At least eight people were reported killed in the initial casualty count, including children, while dozens were injured.Six people were killed in the Kryvyi Rih area after a Russian ballistic missile struck a home, according to Ukrainian officials. One person was also reported killed in Kyiv, while strikes and falling debris caused casualties and damage in several other regions, including western Lviv. Russia killed an entire large family and turned their home into a mass grave. Both parents and all seven of their children were killed when a missile struck near Kryvyi Rih. Rescue crews are still searching through the rubble. pic.twitter.com/1GHtl3fJ2d— KyivPost (@KyivPost) July 30, 2026 The latest barrage came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing another mass aerial assault and urged Ukraine’s allies to accelerate deliveries of air-defense missiles.“This primarily concerns the United States and those partners that have missiles for Patriot systems and can support our defense,” Zelensky said. “Every partner knows what is needed and fully understands the consequences of delay.”In early July, US President Donald Trump said he intended to allow Ukraine to produce surface-to-air missiles as Russia intensified its ballistic missile attacks.Ukraine has relied heavily on US-made Patriot air-defense systems, the only systems currently capable of reliably intercepting some Russian ballistic missiles, but Kyiv remains critically short of PAC-3 interceptor missiles.On Tuesday, Zelensky said he had “positive talks” with Trump and that the US president had agreed to provide Ukraine with Patriot production licenses. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.