A Russian cruise missile struck eastern Poland early Thursday after violating the country’s airspace during a massive Russian missile barrage against Ukraine, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The Russian-made Kh-101 cruise missile crashed into an undeveloped field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, about 57 miles from the Ukrainian border, leaving a crater approximately 33 feet wide, the BBC reported. No casualties were reported. “Last night, during the massive missile attack on Ukraine, one of the cruise missiles Kh-101 violated the Polish airspace and fell 50 km away from the town of Lublin,” Tusk said. “The missile was armed. In all probability it was Russian. I would like to thank all EU and NATO leaders for their solidarity and readiness to help.” The Kh-101 is a long-range air-launched cruise missile that is exclusively in Russia’s inventory and has been used extensively throughout Moscow’s war against Ukraine. According to the Financial Times, citing an analysis by Ukraine’s Office of the President, Russia increased production of the Kh-101 nearly eightfold — from about 56 missiles annually before the full-scale invasion to roughly 420 missiles in 2023.  The incident occurred during one of Russia’s largest overnight attacks on Ukraine, with missiles and drones targeting Kyiv, Lviv, and other cities across the country. According to the BBC, at least eight people in Ukraine were killed and dozens more wounded, including six members of one family in a village near Kryvyi Rih. Lviv, located near Ukraine’s border with Poland, was also among the cities struck. The incident came just hours after Tusk met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lublin, where the Ukrainian leader stopped on his way back from talks with President Donald Trump.  Poland, which borders Ukraine, is a NATO member, meaning an attack on its territory has broader implications for the alliance’s collective security. Although Polish officials have not suggested the missile was intentionally aimed at Poland, any Russian military object entering NATO airspace raises the risk of escalation. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several Russian drones and at least one unarmed Russian missile have landed in Poland, but Thursday’s incident involved what Tusk identified as an armed Kh-101 cruise missile. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he spoke with Tusk following the incident, writing on X that Poland and the alliance activated their air and ground defenses after the missile violated Polish airspace.  “This incident is yet another reckless act by Russia and a dangerous consequence of its war against Ukraine,” Rutte wrote. “I condemn last night’s deadly strikes across Ukraine. NATO continues to provide essential support so Ukraine can defend itself. Our commitment is unwavering.” Poland’s military said it had been tracking Russia’s overnight assault on Ukraine for hours before the impact.  National and allied surveillance systems detected heavy activity from Russia’s long-range aviation, prompting the country to raise the readiness of its air defense systems and scramble fighter jets along with an airborne early warning aircraft, according to the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces in a statement. At least a dozen missiles over western Ukraine that could have posed a threat to Polish airspace were tracked on radar, including one missile that came within roughly three miles of the border before turning back east, the statement said. Then, at 3:40 a.m. local time, Polish radar detected another object traveling westward inside the country’s airspace. An F-16 was dispatched to identify and intercept it, but the object disappeared from radar before the fighter could make visual contact. A military helicopter later located the apparent impact site near Tarnawa-Kolonia, where search and recovery teams were sent to secure the area, the statement went on. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described it as “an extremely tough night” for the country’s air defense, surveillance, and threat detection systems, thanking military personnel for monitoring and responding to the overnight barrage.  He said authorities were continuing to investigate the object that fell.