Polish military retrieves Russian Gerbera drone from Baltic Sea near Ustka training ground

Recovery off the Baltic coast

The Polish military located and retrieved an unmanned aerial vehicle from the Baltic Sea near the beach in Rusinowo, close to Jarosławiec in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The Maritime Operations Center dispatched a recovery boat to secure the object before handing custody over to military police and civilian emergency services. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz reported the discovery on Monday, stating that initial technical assessments identify the device as a Russian military drone. Rusinowo is located approximately 250 kilometers in a direct line from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and sits near the Central Air Force Training Ground in Ustka, a facility regularly used for Polish and NATO military drills.

In the beach area in the town of Rusinowo near Jarosławiec, the military located and recovered a drone from the Baltic Sea. Preliminary inspections indicate that it is a military unmanned aerial vehicle originating from Russia.

Technical inspection and trajectory

Armed Forces Operational Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski stated that the recovered hardware is most likely a Russian Gerbera unmanned aerial vehicle. Polish radar and surveillance networks have recorded no airspace incursions since late July, leading military officials to conclude that the craft drifted through international waters before washing ashore. Explosive ordnance disposal technicians and Military Gendarmerie personnel cordoned off the beach to examine whether the airframe contained any live payload. Lt. Col. Dariusz Rozkosz of the Military Gendarmerie General Command confirmed that inter-agency teams, including local police and fire crews, secured the site to carry out forensic evaluations.

Escalation along the eastern border

The Baltic discovery follows overnight Russian strikes across western Ukraine that prompted air raid sirens across six counties in Lublin Voivodeship on the morning of 13 September 2026. Polish radar systems tracked over a dozen Gerań-5 jet-powered drones operating near the border, leading the military to scramble fighter jets while civilian authorities issued air hazard alerts. Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency briefing on Sunday evening at the Government Security Centre to review defense readiness. Tusk instructed border checkpoints and state services to shift into a reinforced operational mode.

The coming weeks and months will be a period of very intensified actions by the Russian side. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect Polish territory.

Government response and surveillance concerns

Addressing the Sejm on Monday, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk described Poland as a primary target for Russian hybrid operations and aerial reconnaissance. Tomczyk stated that Polish armed forces routinely monitor and intercept Russian military aircraft operating over international waters within Poland's exclusive economic zone. The defense ministry confirmed that the recovered drone has been transferred to specialized investigative units for comprehensive disassembly and analysis. Tomczyk stated that additional findings will be released to the public once technical verification is complete.

As long as the threat from Russia exists, we will be tested in various ways. Surveillance aircraft or fighters will appear. We will intercept them in international waters within the Polish economic zone. Let us build social awareness and resilience.