Closing summary
And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.
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Russia has been accused of violating Polish airspace after a missile exploded in a field in the east of the country, triggering Nato air defences (9:19).
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The missile crashed in an uninhabited rural area, and on impact created a crater about 10 meter wide (9:42), but caused no casualties.
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Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said the missile “looked like” a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile (10:23), a view confirmed by early military assessment (10:40), which Russia also used in strikes against Ukraine last night, which killed at least nine people.
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But Tusk insisted that there was “no reason to think Poland was the intended target,” as investigators look into how it ended up within Polish and Nato airspace (12:25).
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Nato said it was in contact with the Polish authorities, and stressed it would “take all necessary measures to defend Nato territory” (13:55).
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The incident was widely condemned by top EU and European leaders (10:03, 11:51, 13:23, 16:25, 16:32).
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
'Russia's war is a threat to our collective European security,' Denmark's Frederiksen says
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen also joined in condemnations, saying:
“I strongly condemn the Russian attack killing civilians in Ukraine and the violation of Polish airspace. Russia’s war is a threat to our collective European security. Denmark stand by Ukraine and Poland. We must increase our support for Ukraine and the pressure on Russia”
Germany's Merz condemns Russian attacks on Ukraine, 'reckless' missile incident in Poland as he warns Russia "willing to escalate"
Back to Poland and Ukraine, German chancellor Friedrich Merz “strongly condemned” the Russian attacks on Ukraine, and a “reckless” missile incident in Poland.
In a statement, he said:
“We strongly condemn the massive Russian attacks on Ukraine. Many civilians had to lose their lives once again. And the strike in Poland also testifies to Russian recklessness and willingness to escalate. We stand unwaveringly by our partners.”
Updated
Thousands of migrants try to overwhelm border controls, cross into Spain's Ceuta
Migrants tried to force their entry into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on Thursday, overwhelming police at the city’s breakwater, after swimming over from the Moroccan side, Reuters reported.
A Guardia Civil spokesperson said the migrants were “massively entering from the sea” through the Tarajal breakwater, but could not provide any estimates for the numbers.
State television TVE on Thursday reported that 2,000 to 3,000 youths had crossed, while state news agency EFE said some had scaled the border fences without swimming.
“The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta,” prime minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post on X.
New UK border rules left couple stuck in Kraków after living in UK for 80 years
Two Polish citizens who have lived in the UK for nearly 80 years after their parents fled the second world war have spoken of their terrifying experience after being told they did not have post-Brexit rights to return to the UK.
In May, while visiting Poland, they learned that although they had been welcomed as refugees after the war, they now needed special post-Brexit paperwork to return to their home in Bury.
Maria Krupa, 85, and her husband, Czesław, 92, who met in the UK and went on to marry and settle in Bury in Greater Manchester, were issued with “aliens’ registration cards” and have travelled extensively as adults without anyone asking them for their immigration status.
Czesław, who came from Lviv which was then part of Poland, and Maria, who left her home town in what is now Belarus as an infant, had travelled to Poland in May to meet surviving family members.
But Ryanair refused to allow them to board the flight for their return journey on the grounds that they had neither proof of the right to live in the UK nor the new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) now required for foreign tourists entering the UK.
“It was a big shock,” said Maria. “We were very very disappointed and a bit upset because my husband takes a lot of medicine because of a stroke to his spinal cord.”
Was Florentine friars’ fatigue-fighting elixir a precursor to Coca-Cola?
in Rome
An Italian friar has unearthed a document from the pharmacy archives of an ancient convent in Florence describing a medicinal potion made from Bolivian coca leaves and kola nuts, prompting suggestions it could have been a precursor to the famous US soft drink, Coca-Cola.
Father Manuel Russo, rector of the San Marco convent, said he stumbled across the yellowed document, a sort-of promotional flyer, while sorting out the archives.
The flyer details the recipe for an elixir vinoso ricostituente, or restorative wine elixir, made with 10g of Bolivian coca leaves and 30g of kola nut, blended with wine, which the friars who concocted it promoted as a tonic to be used to recuperate the body and mind from fatigue caused by illness and ageing.
The document was not dated, but it is believed to have been produced around the mid-19th century, when the friars plied a brisk trade in Bolivian coca leaves imported to Italy by missionaries, long before they were globally banned in 1961 for containing the natural alkaloid used to make cocaine.
The recipe was similar to the one used by the American pharmacist, John Pemberton, who in 1886 created a sweet syrup by mixing coca leaf extract and kola nuts. Local alcohol laws prevented him from using wine and so he combined the ingredients with carbonated water. Pemberton’s tonic eventually became Coca-Cola.
After learning of Russo’s discovery, some local news outlets pondered whether the soft drink’s origins were, in fact, in Florence and not the US.
German chancellor choses pope’s AI encyclical over pacy potboiler as holiday read
in Berlin
Summer is normally thought of as the time for pacy potboilers and brain-soothing page-turners – airport reads that wind up sandy and sunscreen-stained. Not so for Friedrich Merz’s holiday reading list.
Germany’s embattled chancellor, who has faced one rough patch after another since taking office 14 months ago, seems to be seeking spiritual guidance this year while putting his feet up.
According to the conservative broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Christian Democratic Union leader is taking Pope Leo’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica humanitas (Magnificent humanity), on his break.
Introduced by the Guardian in May as “the first major text on safeguarding humankind of his papacy”, the encyclical makes the case for the “most rigorous” ethical constraints on the march of technology, calling AI the biggest threat to humanity.
One of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, Merz tends to be private about matters of belief, so his beach reading speaks volumes.
The historically unpopular 70-year-old politician has described AI as a challenge and a chance for Europe’s top economy after seven years of stagnation, just as he has demanded streamlined EU rules to prevent red tape from snuffing out its potential.
Firefighters race to extinguish blazes across EU as fire weather breaks records
Europe environment correspondent
Fire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, new data shows, as firefighters race to extinguish blazes across the Mediterranean.
Inflamed by carbon pollution, the hot, dry and windy weather across the EU since the start of the year has been 43% more severe than the end-of-July average over the last two decades, data from the European Forest Fire Information Service (Effis) shows.
Three firefighters died in Greece on Tuesday, officials said, while firefighters in France and Spain made overnight progress tackling monster blazes that have burned dangerously close to large cities.
The figures, which were published on Thursday but may be revised further, showed that so far this year 435,000 hectares (1,075,000 acres) have burned, roughly triple the recent historical average. The devastation is the result of 1,400 fires, more than double the average.
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Spain ends national emergency amid progress in fight against wildfires
In Spain, prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday lifted a state of emergency over wildfires threatening areas near Madrid, after the prefect’s office said they had stopped expanding with “almost no flames left,” AFP reported.
By Thursday, only a thousand evacuees remained in the region, after thousands returned home on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in Europe, thousands of people were evacuated late on Wednesday as fires threatened a tourist resort on the Greek island of Crete and continued to rage on Thursday, fanned by violent winds, authorities said.
'We are on the right track,' French authorities say as thousands of evacuees return home after wildfires
France has allowed 84,000 evacuees to return home after a massive wildfire forced them out, AP reported.
This marks progress in the fight against the flames, which have burned an area four times the size of Paris.
“We’re on the right track,” said Sophie Brocas, prefect of Bordeaux’s Gironde region who gave the go-ahead for nearly two-thirds of the 224,000 evacuees to go home. They include 60,000 people allowed back to three Bordeaux suburbs on Tuesday.
But returnees were told to keep phones on and pack bags in case they have to be evacuated again, AP noted.
Let’s take a quick look at other news from around Europe.
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski spoke to BBC’s “World at One” this afternoon, saying it’s not clear if the missile incident was deliberate or not.
“We do not know whether this was a malfunction or deliberate, but at this stage we have to keep options open.”
He said allies needed to “stick to our plan of assistance to Ukraine,” with the particular focus on air defence missiles.
He also said:
“The Russians may be counting that they might break Ukraine’s resistance by attacks on heating and, in power generation. They have destroyed 80% of Ukraine’s electricity generating capacity, which of course affects not only civilians but also, production capabilities in the defence sector and so on.
So Putin seems to be desperate and throwing his all at Ukraine. We have had another horrible night of attacks on Kyiv and on Western Ukraine.”
Ukraine ready to offer 'all necessary assistance' to investigate Russian missile incident
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha stressed Ukraine’s “full solidarity with Poland,” and Kyiv’s offer to “provide all the necessary assistance in investigating the incident.”
“We agreed that strengthening Ukraine’s air shield should be an urgent priority for the entire Euro-Atlantic community,” he said.
He also added:
“I believe that today’s missile incursion also serves as a stark reminder of the horrific reality facing both our countries: it is time to focus on countering acute threats in the present rather than divisive debates about the past.”
Updated
We are getting some more pictures from the site of the missile incident in Poland.
Nato 'in close contact' with Poland over airspace violation, says 'will take all necessary measures' to defend territory
Nato is “in close contact with the Polish authorities about the violation of Poland’s airspace,” Nato said.
In a statement, Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson Col Martin O’Donnell said:
“In response to a Russian missile of currently unknown type that entered Polish airspace and later crashed into Polish territory - one of many missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine overnight - NATO and Poland activated their air and ground defences.
Two NATO fighter jets, which were Polish F-16s, a NATO Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Unit Airbus A330 refuelling aircraft, a Polish Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, and a Polish Mi-24 helicopter, were scrambled.
NATO is in close contact with the Polish authorities about the violation of Poland’s airspace.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, spoke earlier today with Poland’s Chief of Defence General Wiesław Kukuła about NATO and Poland’s response to the incident, which remains under investigation.
SACEUR underlined that NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to defend NATO territory.”
'Another unacceptable violation of EU airspace,' von der Leyen says
European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is the latest European leader to respond to the missile incident in Poland.
In a post on X, she said:
“Another unacceptable violation of our EU airspace caused by Russia’s latest strikes on Ukraine, this time over Poland.
The Polish people are famously unafraid dear @donaldtusk, and our thoughts are with them.
To put an end to this, we are helping Ukraine win this war in every way we can. And we are building a robust European security architecture on land, at sea and in the air.”
'Next 100 days may decide this war,' Poland's Tusk says, as he doubles down on pledge to support Ukraine
Tusk also said today’s incident has only increased his determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“Poland’s security depends directly and unequivocally on the effective actions of the Ukrainian military, including in the air. If the Ukrainians had much more of what they’ve been asking for all along, perhaps that ballistic missile wouldn’t have been launched toward Poland.”
He said Poland was determined to do whatever it could “for Ukraine not to lose this war.”
Recalling his conversation with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last night, he said: “the matter is quite clear: the next 100 days may decide the outcome of this war, and it’s a 50/50 chance.”
He pointed to the US president, Donald Trump, “some other people,” and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk as some of the most influential people who could decide the outcome of the conflict.
Updated
'No reason to think Poland was the intended target for this missile,' PM Tusk says
Poland’s PM Tusk is now visiting the site of the incident, and says that two missiles violated Polish airspace during the night, but clarifies that the other one quickly crossed back into Ukraine.
Later, defence minister Kosiniak-Kamysz clarified that only one missile crossed into Polish airspace.
Tusk also confirms that early indications suggest the missile that crashed in rural Poland was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, as reported earlier.
But he stresses “there are no reasons to think Poland was the intended target for this missile.”
He also says that the Polish air force was ready to shoot down the missile if it threatened an inhabited area.
He says the US is interested in joining the investigation into the incident.
Updated
France's Macron condemns strikes on Ukraine, missile incident in Poland
French president Emmanuel Macron has condemned the overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine and the violation of Polish airspace.
In a post on X, he said:
“France condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian strikes that killed civilians in Ukraine, as well as the violation of Polish airspace.
Our support for Ukraine and our allies will not waver, @ZelenskyyUa @donaldtusk. This is a matter of our collective security.”
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk said he was in contact with other European leaders who “declare full solidarity and readiness for any assistance.”
Polish minister warns against Russian disinformation about missile incident
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski warned against any potential attempts to blame Ukraine for the incident, saying on X:
“Getting ahead of Putin’s disinformation, please read this: ‘Missiles (Kh-101) are exclusively used by Russia’s strategic air force.’”
Earlier, the Polish PM’s office issued a separate warning against disinformation on social media.
One of the most serious incidents in a Nato country since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine - snap analysis
With Poland now confirming it was “most likely” a Russian missile, it appears to be one of the most serious airspace violations of a Nato member state since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression on Ukraine in 2022.
In November 2022, a Ukrainian S-300 surface-to-air missile used to intercept incoming Russian strikes accidentally strayed into Poland and killed two people.
in December 2022, an unarmed Russian Kh-55 air-launched cruise missile flew into Polish airspace, where it was only discovered a few months later.
Some 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace in September 2025.
Multiple incursions were also reported into Romania.
In May, where two people were injured after a drone crashed into an apartment block in the southeast Romanian town of Galati, near the Ukrainian border.
Updated
Ukraine requests to join Polish investigation into missile crash, prosecutor says
Ukraine has requested to join the Polish investigation into the missile incident, Lublin prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told a media briefing.
“This request is currently being considered, and it is possible that they will come here and work with Polish authorities to identify the object that entered Polish airspace and determine what exactly we are dealing with.”
The crash site is being “mapped” and will be examined in detail, he says.
'Most likely' it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile that crashed in Poland, defence minister says
Poland’s defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirms it’s “most likely” it was a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile.
“That’s the most probable hypothesis,” he says.
He says Poland is in regular contact with Nato allies on the incident.
Maj Gen Ireneusz Nowak, the Inspector of the Polish Air Force, joins in to offer a bit more detailed briefing.
He says that Russia fired 20-22 Kh-101 missiles inside Ukraine last night as part of its strikes on the country, and two missiles were identified as posing potential threat to Poland’s territory.
An F-16 fighter jet was scrambled to follow one of the missiles and observed the moment of its crash in an uninhabited area.
Updated
Poland’s Tusk says that it’s “an unusual coincidence” that the incident took place just hours after his meeting with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which they discussed bilateral cooperation, including on antiballistic defence.
“Zelenskyy had warned me that they had precise information on Russia’s upcoming massive attack” on Ukraine, Tusk said.
'Looks like it was a Russian missile,' Poland's PM Tusk confirms
Poland’s PM Tusk is speaking now, chairing an emergency meeting on the incident with senior representatives of the military and the emergency services.
He confirms “a missile” fell on the Polish territory, and says “it looks like” it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, as reported by Ukraine (9:19).
“Let’s not jump to conclusions before the detailed investigation is complete; we’ll want to be 100 percent certain about what kind of projectile was fired.”
He calls the incident “serious,” but confirms there are no casualties or damage.
He says Poland was prepared to shoot down the rocket if it continued its flight into the Polish territory.
Updated
'Russia's aggression is a threat to the security of Europe as a whole,' EU's Costa says
European Council president António Costa stressed that “Russia’s aggression is a threat to the security of Europe as a whole,” as he condemned the overnight strikes on Ukraine and an airspace violation in Poland.
In a post on X, he said:
“Last night, Russia launched a massive combined strike against Ukraine.
During the attack, Polish airspace was also violated, underlining once again that Russia’s aggression is a threat to the security of Europe as a whole.
My thoughts are with the victims of these attacks. The European Union stands in full solidarity with the Ukrainian and Polish authorities working tirelessly to protect and defend their citizens.
We are stepping up our support to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, including anti-missile and anti-drone capabilities. Europe will continue to stand united in the face of this aggression.”
We are getting some first pictures from the site of the incident in Poland, via Poland’s state broadcaster TVP Info.
Russia's war 'continues to endanger lives far beyond Ukraine,' Estonia's president warns
Estonian president Alar Karis warned that Russia’s war “continues to endanger lives far beyond Ukraine,” as he expressed his nation’s solidarity with Ukraine and Poland.
“Another night of Russian attacks. Civilians killed, including children. Homes destroyed. Cities across Ukraine set ablaze. Now a reported explosion & debris on NATO territory in Poland.
Russia’s war continues to endanger lives far beyond Ukraine. We stand with Poland & Ukraine.”
Aftermath of overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine - in pictures
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk and defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz will chair an emergency meeting on the incident at 10.15 local time (9.15 UK), the Polish government said.
A Russian cruise missile crossed into Poland, Ukraine's foreign minister says
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said “a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Poland as part of Russia’s massive strike against Ukraine, violating Nato airspace.”
Polish authorities have yet to formally identify the object that exploded in eastern Poland.
“This is yet another clear demonstration that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence now is urgent and serves as a guarantee for the protection of the entire Euro-Atlantic community,” Sybiha said.
Referencing recent bitter disputes between Poland and Ukraine over shared history, Sybiha added:
“The Russian missile incursion into Poland also serves as a reminder that there is nothing more urgent for our two countries than countering our common, ages-old enemy, which poses a direct threat to both of our nations.
All other disagreements must be put aside during this brutal war. Our top priority must be our shared security.”
Morning opening: At least eight killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as Poland investigates airspace violation
At least eight people were killed and dozens injured in another night of heavy Russian attacks on Ukraine, with neighbouring Poland also investigating a reported airspace violation and explosion on its territory.
Russia launched 74 missiles and 284 drones against targets in Ukraine, with casualties reported primarily in Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regions.
“This Russian terror once again proves that protection against the Russian missile threat is the most important,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response to the attacks, adding Ukraine faced a “critical shortage of air defence missiles from our partners”.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Poland is examining an impact site in the east of the country after “an unidentified object moving westward was detected in Polish airspace” and crashed near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, some 80 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Local police said that officers investigating reports of a loud bang “discovered a crated and scattered debris from an unidentified object in a field located about 2 km from the nearest buildings.”
Separately, air raid sirens sounded in the eastern city of Lublin. The incident took place just hours after Zelenskyy met in Lublin with Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk.
Tusk is travelling to the impact site this morning, a government spokesperson said.
Separately, I will also keep an eye on the heatwave hitting large parts of western Europe, and ongoing battle against wildfires in France and Spain.
I will bring you all the updates here.
It’s Thursday, 30 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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Reuters has corrected its earlier reporting at 8:12 BST, revising the number of people killed in Russian overnight strikes on Ukraine from 13 to 8.
Updated
