On Wednesday, 21 October, shortly after 1 p.m., an object resembling an unmanned aerial vehicle was found on an uninhabited property in Lubaczów in the Podkarpackie region of south-eastern Poland. No one was harmed, and the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), the Military Gendarmerie and the prosecutor’s office were notified.
According to a statement from the Podkarpackie police, cited by the media, Lubaczów police officers received a report after 1 p.m. It concerned an object resembling an unmanned aerial vehicle, lying on one of the uninhabited properties. Officers secured the site and are checking whether the find poses an explosives hazard. The Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), the Military Gendarmerie and the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lubaczów have been notified of the incident.
Evacuation and securing the area
As the local portal ZLUBACZOWA.PL reported, citing a spokesperson for the Lubaczów police, the object had a polystyrene structure. Firefighters were also called to the scene, and residents of some neighbouring buildings had to temporarily leave their homes. According to local portals, the incident took place in the Mazury housing estate, at Herzoga Street.
Press spokesperson for the Military Gendarmerie Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Dariusz Rozkosz, told the daily “Nowiny” that an unidentified flying object resembling a drone had been found. He assured that its fall caused no property damage or threat to life, and that the area is secured against access by third parties. The Gendarmerie did not say whether the object is civilian or military. “We cannot establish anything at this point. The services will examine it. It may take some time,” the spokesperson said, according to “Nowiny”.
What is known unofficially
Polsat News unofficially learned that the object is about 80 cm long. The broadcaster also reported that it had apparently bounced off a residential building before falling to the ground. According to these reports and the portal eLubaczów, it may be a smuggling or reconnaissance drone. The services have not yet confirmed this information.
WP Tech describes photos published by eLubaczów. They show a polystyrene structure with a black device bearing the inscription “МАРІУПОЛЬ v2.3”. According to descriptions cited by Ukrainian websites, this may be a component of an initiation system used in kamikaze-type drones. The origin and purpose of the device have not been officially established.
Background and what comes next
The incident occurred in a region where, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the RCB (Government Centre for Security) sent alerts to residents of the Podkarpackie and Lublin voivodeships in connection with a Russian air attack on Ukraine. The RCB statement said that aircraft were operating in Polish airspace. After the attack ended, the RCB reported that there was no threat on Polish territory. None of the announcements was linked to the object from Lubaczów. A few days earlier, the military had searched for another unidentified object, as we reported in our article about the search south of Lublin. There is no official information that the two cases are connected.
What it means
Residents of Lubaczów should follow the instructions of the police and fire services. Access restrictions apply to the site where the object was found. Authorities usually urge people not to approach or touch such objects and to report them by calling 112. Further findings, including the assessment of the explosives risk and the origin of the object, rest with the prosecutor’s office, ABW, SKW and the Military Gendarmerie.
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