Poland closes probe into F-35 missile that hit house during Russian drone incursion
Polish prosecutors have closed an investigation into an F-35 missile that accidentally struck a residential building during a Russian drone incursion last year, concluding that the military acted lawfully while responding to a threat to Polish airspace.
This is reported by TVN24, citing information from the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin.
The incident occurred overnight on Sept. 9–10, 2025, when Russian drones entered Polish airspace and Polish and NATO aircraft were deployed to intercept them.
An AIM-9X Sidewinder missile fired by an F-35 fighter jet unintentionally struck the roof of a home in Wyryki-Wola in eastern Poland, according to the Lublin District Prosecutor's Office.
Investigators determined that the building was damaged by the explosion of the missile's warhead after it hit the structure. The strike also damaged neighboring buildings and two cars, but no one was injured.
Prosecutors said the missile had been fired on a direct order from Poland's Armed Forces Operational Commander under procedures intended to protect civilians from approaching drones.
Although the incident formally met the criteria of an act that could endanger multiple people, prosecutors concluded that no crime had been committed because the commander and pilots acted within their legal authority and official duties.
The damage to the buildings was an “unavoidable collateral consequence” of a rapid response to an immediate threat to national security, prosecutors said.
More than a dozen Russian drones fell on Polish territory during the incursion, some after being intercepted by NATO aircraft.
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