Russian Kh-101 Missile Hits Lublin Voivodeship as Interior Ministry Announces New Warning App

Following the intrusion of a Russian Kh-101 missile into Polish airspace and its impact in Tarnawa-Kolonia, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński defended the emergency response and announced a new crisis-alert application.

Missile Incident in Tarnawa-Kolonia

The Minister of Interior and Administration addressed the situation from the night of Wednesday to Thursday, when Polish airspace was violated by a Kh-101 missile, which fell in Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin Voivodeship. Although alarm sirens sounded in connection with the event, residents did not receive an alert from the Government Centre for Security explaining the situation, and the information was also missing from the RCB profile on social media.

Kierwiński Defends Warning System Effectiveness

Speaking on Friday on TVN24, Marcin Kierwiński stated that the warning system during Thursday’s incident in Tarnawa-Kolonia worked effectively. Yesterday’s system relied on informing residents with alarm sirens because it is the fastest method, with the total duration of the threat lasting 13 minutes, Kierwiński explained in the “Jeden na jeden” program on TVN24, adding that sirens were activated within a dozen or so minutes of receiving information about a potential threat. He assessed that even if text messages had arrived within the 13-minute window, not everyone would have read the alert at night, and noted that whether sirens were activated too late in the poviats will be subject to precise analysis.

Communication Limitations and Safety Guidelines

He noted that while the warning system is one element, informing about what happened is another, adding that with little time—such as the situation yesterday—a full information package with a diagnosis will not arrive via an RCB alert during five to ten minutes because there is simply no time for it. He emphasized that the “Safety Guide” clearly indicates how to proceed after hearing an alarm signal, stating that if there are no other communications from services, individuals should remain in a safe place preferably away from windows until the alarm is cancelled, and stressed that knowledge of what alarm signals mean and how to react must become a common skill in today’s times.

The Minister of Interior and Administration announced concrete actions the government plans to take on the matter, stating that a special application regulating such issues will be launched within the next dozen or so weeks. Kierwiński did not rule out that the new solution will be based on the existing mObywatel application, noting that while they are still considering whether it will be in mObywatel, it has about 14 million users and that database will certainly be used. He added that because there were significant gaps in civil protection for many years, today the priority is to systematically make up for these arrears and build a modern, effective threat response system.

RCB Alert and Digital Safety Guide

On Friday, the Government Centre for Security sent an alert to recipients across the country encouraging them to download the digital version of the “Safety Guide,” informing that recipients nationwide received an alert stating: “MSWiA: be prepared. Download: poradnikbezpieczenstwa.gov.pl.” The publication contains information regarding alarm signals and warning messages, noting that Poland has two types of alarm signals: the announcement of an alarm via a continuous, modulated siren sound for 3 minutes, and the cancellation of an alarm via a continuous, steady siren sound for 3 minutes.

The guide also includes recommendations on preparing an evacuation backpack containing bottled water, a first aid kit, documents, and cash, alongside instructions on what to do if one cannot take shelter in a designated refuge. Information on the location of shelters can be found at municipal offices, State or Volunteer Fire Department units, and the website https://www.gov.pl/web/kgpsp. The Ministry of Interior and Administration, the Ministry of National Defence, and the RCB had worked on creating the crisis guide since the beginning of 2025 with the involvement of nearly 60 experts from various fields, patterning the brochure on a similar guide issued by the Swedish government.