Night reports and the first search

Residents near Zalew Zemborzycki, the reservoir south of Lublin, reported hearing a loud noise from a passing object during the night of 17 to 18 October. Police received the first calls around 02:00 on Sunday, 18 October, and about a dozen more arrived by the morning hours. Those reports triggered the search operation. Police spokesperson Anna Kamola said callers described the sound of a loud flying object, but nobody reported hearing an explosion. No damage to buildings or other property was reported in the area.

Sunday search without results

The Sunday operation involved more than 30 soldiers of the Territorial Defence Forces, several dozen police officers, the Military Gendarmerie and a military helicopter. Searchers concentrated on the southern edge of the city near Tęczowa Street. The operation finished before 17:00 without locating any object or debris. Later that evening, the DORSZ spokesman said the result was negative and that work would continue on Monday. A spokeswoman for the Lublin territorial soldiers told RMF FM that no elements that could have belonged to an aircraft had been found.

Monday search and the military's position

The search resumed on Monday, 19 October, with more than 30 soldiers from the 2nd Lublin Territorial Defence Brigade, supported by a Land Search and Rescue Team and a support subunit. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces said the operation is preventive and aims to clarify the circumstances, verify the radar signal and reports from residents, and establish whether the signal came from an object or from a weather anomaly. The armed forces have not confirmed a violation of Polish airspace at this stage. DORSZ spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Goryszewski said radar systems had registered signals near the tripoint of the borders, and the recordings were being reviewed.

“Our radar systems observed certain signals at the tripoint of the borders, and the recordings are now being checked.”

Goryszewski told RMF FM that earlier radar contacts had turned out to be weather anomalies or large flocks of birds.

Hypotheses under review

Officials are weighing several explanations, including weather phenomena, smuggling activity and provocation. One line of inquiry is whether the signal was a provocation from Belarus, for example a decoy drone that could have crossed Polish airspace and come down on Polish territory. None of these scenarios has been confirmed so far. The command said further details would be released only after the verification activities and the incident details are confirmed.

“Further information will be provided after the verification activities are completed and the details of the incident are confirmed.”

Warnings and political reaction

The military urges residents to stay calm and rely only on official, verified sources, warning that unconfirmed reports could feed disinformation and hostile narratives. Anyone who finds items that might be debris should not approach or touch them and should call the emergency number 112. Opposition politician Tobiasz Bocheński, a member of the European Parliament, criticized the government in a post on X, accusing ruling politicians of wrong priorities.