An unusual event took place on Thursday when a mysterious object, likely a missile, entered Polish airspace around 3:40 am CET. It was later detected near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, around 90 kilometers from the Polish border, where a crater was discovered. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the area. The event unfolded during a heavy night of attacks by Russia on Ukraine. The missile threat made for an "extremely tough night" for Polish air defense, observation and threat detection systems, the country's defense minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on social media the following morning. A Polish F-16 jet was deployed to identify and intercept the object, but six minutes later, the radar signal had disappeared. Later, a helicopter crew located the impact site in an undeveloped area near Tarnawa-Kolonia in Lublin Voivodeship, the military said. Images soon emerged on local media of a hole in a field. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is traveling to the site of the hole, a Polish government spokesperson said on July 30. "The type of object that fell in the vicinity of the town of Tarnawa-Kolonia is being clarified," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
In the central city of Kryvyi Rih, tragedy struck as a ballistic missile exploded inside a civilian home, killing four adults and two young girls—one five years old and the other 12. At least 15 more people were injured in the attack, according to local authorities. The city's defense council warned that the death toll could rise.
In the eastern Poltava region, a drone strike targeted a warehouse, resulting in a fatality. Meanwhile, western Ukraine saw attacks in Lviv, injuring at least 15 people. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed one death and two injuries in the capital from the overnight assault. He emphasized the ongoing danger, with reports of fires burning in several city districts. In a nearby Kyiv suburb, five more people were wounded in an attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted an urgent warning on X, urging people across the country to stay alert to air raid sirens and remain safe. He criticized the delayed deliveries of air defense missiles from international partners, calling the shortages a critical vulnerability. He argued that the slow response to Ukraine's needs is directly responsible for the destruction and loss of life occurring. Emergency service images showed firefighters in Kyiv working to control fires at buildings damaged in the attacks. Zelenskyy also stressed the importance of timely assistance, saying that the protection of civilians from the Russian missile threat is the top priority. He linked the lack of urgent aid to the ongoing civilian casualties and destruction being seen nationwide. The mayor of Kyiv reiterated the need for people to remain in shelters as the threat of further attacks continues.
The reported incursion is not the first time Russian mass attacks on Ukraine have tested Polish air defenses. On Dec. 29, 2023, a missile entered Polish airspace, putting the country's defenses on high alert. In another incident on Nov. 15, 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during a Russian mass strike, killing two civilians. Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian anti-air projectile launched to intercept the Russian attack. In what was understood to be a deliberate provocation and test of NATO's response, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace in September 2025, triggering consultations under Article 4 of the Atlantic Treaty.
Russia launched dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as hundreds of drones, toward Ukraine in the early hours of July 30 in yet another large-scale attack. Damage was reported in various cities, including Kyiv and Lviv, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing another large-scale attack. The attack killed at least eight people, including two children, and injured at least 45 others across Kyiv, Lviv, Kryvyi Rih, and in Poltava Oblast, officials reported. "This Russian terror proves once again that protection from the Russian missile threat is the most important task for preserving the lives of our people," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on social media. "And this is a task that cannot be only Ukrainian, only one country. All partners know how and with what they can help." Explosions rang out across several oblasts, including Ukraine's far-western regions, located hundreds of kilometers from the front line. Multiple explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, beginning at 1:18 a.m. local time, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. A second wave of explosions was later heard around 3:50 a.m. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched a total of 74 cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles, as well as 284 Shahed-type drones. Fifty-five missiles and 265 of the drones were intercepted by air defenses. Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that one person was killed and two others injured in the capital amid the attack. Fires broke out at a garage in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district, as well as a market in the Obolon district after falling debris landed on the sites, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. A large fire was seen in the direction of Obolon by a Kyiv Independent journalist. On the outskirts of the capital in Kyiv Oblast, three homes were damaged in Brovary. A total of five people sustained injuries in the strike, including one child.
Throughout the night, Ukraine's Air Force warned of ballistic missiles heading toward various regions of the country, including Ukraine's far west, as air raid alerts were issued across the entire country. Local media reported that a residential area in the central city of Kryvyi Rih was hit, with many people, including children, believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of a home. Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, reported that a home belonging to a large family was struck by an Iskander-M ballistic missile. Two girls, aged 5 and 12, and four adults were killed as a result of the strike. Eight other people were also injured, including two boys aged 6 and 15. Ukraine's State Emergency Service also reported that one person was killed in Poltava Oblast following a strike on a warehouse in the region. Russia also struck a Nova Poshta terminal in the city of Poltava, although no casualties were reported.
Multiple explosions were also heard in the western city of Lviv, located only about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the Poland-Ukraine border, beginning around 4:40 a.m., according to public broadcaster Suspilne. Maxim Kozytsky, head of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration, said that two high-rise residential buildings were struck in the city, later saying at least 30 people had been injured. This was revised down to 23 by Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi, though he added two people were considered missing. Emergency workers and local volunteers were seen removing the rubble from the building amid reports that additional victims are buried underneath the rubble. Moments after the attack on Lviv, explosions also rang out in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as the surrounding region that borders Romania. Dozens of missiles were reportedly flying over the country's western regions amid the attack. In response to the Russian attack, Poland's Air Force said it scrambled fighter jets to protect Polish airspace. Social media reports indicate that an air raid alert was activated in the Polish city of Lublin, although it was quickly lifted.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned earlier on July 29 that Russia would likely carry out a massive attack on the country overnight, in a message posted on social media. "The Russians prepared a massive attack several days ago, and there is a high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight," Zelensky said in a post on X. "Please, in all regions of Ukraine, pay attention to air raid alerts today and take care of yourselves," he added. Thousands of people bunkered down in Kyiv's metro stations amid warning of the attack. Social media reports point to overcrowding at some metro station in some of Kyiv's densest neighbourhoods.