Suspected Russian-made drone found on Polish beach, origin still unclear
A drone believed to be of Russian origin was found on a beach in Poland's West Pomeranian Voivodeship, with military officials saying it likely drifted in from international waters. Authorities say there is currently no evidence linking it to a deliberate attack.
Regional Polish media have released video footage of an unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin discovered in the Baltic Sea. The outlet Zawsze Pomorze shared the footage after the device was spotted on a beach near Rusinowo.
The drone is lying at the water's edge, and a 100-meter safety perimeter has been set up around it, which no one is allowed to cross. Police guarding the site said they intend to expand that zone to 300 meters, since it remains unclear whether the device is merely a training model or contains explosives.
Officials point to a possible "Gerbera"-type drone
Colonel Jacek Goryszewski of the Polish Armed Forces' Operational Command told Polsat News that the device found on the beach is most likely a "Gerbera"-type drone, probably of Russian manufacture. According to the command, the drone most likely drifted into Polish waters from international waters.
Goryszewski said Polish systems have not recorded any airspace violation since July 31, so there is currently no basis to link the find to any Russian attack — it most likely simply drifted in. The object was spotted by a navy hydrographic vessel passing nearby; the crew alerted police and military police, who are now carrying out procedures at the scene.
Earlier the same day, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that a drone of Russian origin had been recovered from the water near a beach in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
The discovery follows events on September 13, when Russian strikes hit a gas station near the Yahodyn–Dorohusk border crossing and struck a locomotive of Ukrainian Railways standing two kilometers from the border. Shortly before the strikes, a train carrying foreign guests had crossed the border along the same route. Following the incident, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an urgent meeting, warning that the coming weeks and months would see intensified Russian activity and that more serious attacks on Polish territory could not be ruled out.
