A Russian drone found on the Polish coast was ready to detonate

A Russian military drone discovered on Monday on the coast of the town of Rusinowo, in northern Poland, had an explosive warhead with fragmentation, ready to detonate. The confirmation was made today, September 16, by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań.

Military bomb disposal experts separated the payload from the aircraft and detonated it in a controlled explosion, right on the beach where the drone had been found. The authorities identified the aircraft as a Gerbera 2, usually used for reconnaissance and as a decoy, but also capable of attacking ground targets.

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the drone had allegedly flown over Lithuania and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad before reaching the Baltic Sea and the Polish coast. He warned that Moscow is intensifying its actions, which affect NATO and EU states, including Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and the Baltic countries.

The incident comes after, in recent months, several drones and a Russian missile reached the vicinity of or the territory of NATO states. In Lithuania, another drone shot down by Italian aircraft was also carrying an explosive device. The Polish authorities are due to discuss the situation at an extraordinary meeting convened for Friday.