Gen. Bagan: evacuations at border crossings after Russian drone attacks on Ukraine

Gen. Robert Bagan spoke during a briefing at the headquarters of the Government Security Center, which Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened after the overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine. The meeting was attended by representatives of the services responsible for security.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard said that difficulties at the border crossings with Ukraine began on Saturday around 14.

There were alternating interruptions in customs clearance at border crossings with Ukraine due to the threat of attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles. Practically throughout the day and all night, traffic was resumed and then stopped again. As the Border Guard, we adapted to the conditions and situation on the Ukrainian side, said General Bagan.

A Russian drone attacked near Dorohusk

Approximately 4:10 A Russian drone attacked a gas station approximately two kilometers away from the border crossing in Dorohusk. The force of the explosion was also felt on the Polish side.

The explosion was so powerful that the windows in the facility on our side shook. Then the evacuation of the border crossing was immediately announced, said General Bagan.

The evacuation - as he explained - was possible thanks to the prior preparation of procedures and scenarios of action in the event of a threat. 25 Border Guard officers, 25 customs and tax administration officers and 78 employees of other services were evacuated from the facility in Dorohusk. More than 280 travelers also had to leave the crossing.

Alarm in Hrebenne

At a similar time, the Border Guard received information about an unidentified object heading towards the border crossing in Hrebenne.

A decision was made to evacuate the crossing. In this case, over 300 people from our staff and 66 people from the National Tax Administration were also evacuated - said the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard.

Another incident was reported around 8:27. On the Ukrainian side, a railway siding was hit. According to the information provided to the Polish services by the Ukrainian side, the drone hit the locomotive of the freight train. The depot transported empty tankers.

The situation at the crossings is under control

Despite the overnight events, the Border Guard assures that the situation at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossings is currently stable.

Currently, the situation at border crossings is under control. Traffic is moving normally. We do not detect any threats at the moment, concluded General Bagan.

Chief of Staff COD: The Russians used over 700 drones in attacks on Ukraine

Chief of Staff COD, Brig. Gen. Jarosław Chojnacki informed during the briefing that in the Russian attacks on Ukraine, which began on Saturday at 14, over 700 drones and 40 ballistic missiles were used. Objects located in Ukrainian airspace and heading towards Poland were observed using radar reconnaissance systems.

Therefore - as the chief of staff of DORSZ said - "the operational commander activated land-based air defense means deployed in the eastern part of the country, in the Lublin Voivodeship and Podkarpackie Voivodeship, as well as high-speed aviation air defense means, i.e. F-16 and M-17 and Black Hawk helicopters."