An unidentified aerial object crashed and exploded in a cornfield near the village of Osiny in eastern Poland at around 2:22 a.m. local time on Wednesday, scattering metal and plastic debris, shattering windows and damaging three buildings. No casualties were reported, according to the Lublin region’s governor, Krzysztof Komorski. Civilian and military investigators cordoned off the site while Polish prosecutors, police and army specialists examined fragments of a propeller and engine. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said all scenarios were being considered, but initial analysis pointed to a military drone. Later in the day, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said preliminary findings identified the object as a Russian version of the Shahed loitering munition used extensively in attacks on Ukraine. The Defence Minister called the incident “another Russian provocation” against a NATO member state, although Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command reported no recorded airspace violations from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus during the night. The blast comes amid a series of drone and missile intrusions along NATO’s eastern flank, including German Typhoon jets scrambled over Romania hours earlier in response to Russian strikes near the Danube. Warsaw has not announced retaliatory steps but said further measures will depend on the outcome of the investigation.