Russian jet drone strikes near Polish border, prompting evacuations and fighter jet deployment

Russian jet drone strikes near border crossing

A Russian jet-powered drone struck Ukrainian territory approximately 2 kilometres from the Dorohusk-Yahodyn border crossing on 28 September 2026. According to Dorohusk commune head Wojciech Sawa, the drone hit near an old terminal building on the Ukrainian side, producing an audible detonation and visible black smoke. The Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported that the impact occurred several hundred metres from the boundary, noting that crossing infrastructure in Yahodyn sustained no direct damage. Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka confirmed that no projectiles entered Polish airspace and that no injuries occurred at the border post.

Evacuations and emergency alert response

Following the detection of incoming aerial targets, the Government Centre for Security (RCB) issued warning alerts to mobile phone users across the Lublin Voivodeship after 17:00. Air raid sirens sounded across border municipalities, advising residents to find shelter and follow directives from emergency services. Border clearance operations were suspended immediately, and Polish authorities ordered the evacuation of facilities at both the Dorohusk and Zosin border checkpoints. Processing of travelers resumed at approximately 17:20, according to Nadbużański Border Guard Division spokesperson Major Dariusz Sienicki.

“First, border clearance at the Dorohusk crossing was stopped, and then evacuation indeed became necessary because the situation was very dynamic. This drone ended up at a very close distance to the border.”

Military air patrols and rising drone activity

The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command (DORSZ) deployed fighter aircraft to patrol eastern Polish airspace shortly before 17:00 as Russian strikes targeted western Ukrainian regions. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that air defence units and ground systems were placed on active standby.

“Another Russian attack in western Ukraine. A jet drone struck on the Ukrainian side about 2 km from the border crossing with Poland in Dorohusk. There was no violation of Polish airspace. Our air defence systems and aircraft were ready to act. After the alert was cancelled, the planes returned to bases, and defence systems returned to observation and standby mode.”

Although the initial fighter deployment concluded before 18:00, military aircraft scrambled again less than an hour later when renewed strikes occurred. The Operational Command issued secondary alerts for residents in both Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships. Operational Command spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski noted that Russian forces have shifted toward daytime attacks while increasing the volume of jet-powered unmanned systems operating near Poland.

Pattern of strikes near the frontier

The incident follows an earlier aerial strike in the same frontier sector on 13 September 2026. During that attack, a Russian drone struck a petrol station and railway junction approximately 2 kilometres from the Dorohusk crossing in Yahodyn. Polish authorities evacuated more than 280 travelers across five coaches, alongside 25 Border Guard officers and 25 National Revenue Administration personnel. The 13 September strike also hit a passenger train locomotive in Volyn Oblast shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cleared the station, while a separate train carrying former CIA Director David Petraeus remained on site.

Travelers (5 coaches)280

Border Guard officers25

National Revenue Administration officers25

Travelers (5 coaches)

280 people

Border Guard officers

25 people

National Revenue Administration officers

25 people

Data from the article text