The object was detected at 3:40 a.m., prompting the military to send an F-16 fighter jet to identify and intercept it, the Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces said. It disappeared from radar six minutes later.
Authorities identified a probable crash site near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the eastern Lublin province, close to Poland’s border with Ukraine.
Officials said the object was a Russian Kh-101 missile. The incident occurred during a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, including areas near the Polish border.
Małgorzata Szumna, who heads a team monitoring online narratives and fact-checking at Poland's NASK National Research Institute, said two principal strands of disinformation had emerged.
The first blamed Ukraine. Some posts linked the incident to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the eastern Polish city of Lublin the previous day, falsely claiming his presence had brought a missile threat to the region.
Other posts alleged that Ukraine had staged a provocation to draw Poland into the war.
Szumna said such claims ignored the military context of the overnight Russian bombardment. They were also inconsistent with official statements from the Polish authorities and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The second strand accused the Polish government of deliberately frightening the public or creating a sense of danger to manipulate society.
"Such narratives can weaken trust in state institutions and hinder an effective response to crisis situations," Szumna said.
Warning sirens sounded in Lublin at around 3:50 a.m. and were canceled several minutes later. The early-warning system was activated in the city and several other parts of the province on the orders of the Government Center for Security (RCB).
NASK said there was a real risk that Russian propaganda would exploit the incident and that it was continuing to monitor online activity.
Szumna advised internet users to rely on official statements and news organizations that verify information.
"Trust, but also verify," she said.
She also urged caution over highly emotional posts accusing Ukraine, saying content intended to provoke anger may be designed to spread disinformation and deepen divisions within Polish society.
The Polish Prime Minister's Office issued a similar appeal on Thursday, asking the public to use official announcements and check claims against reliable sources.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, polskieradio24.pl