WW3 fears explode as NATO country accuses Russia of dangerous 'act of hostility'

Poland has called the act a 'provocation'. (Image: AP)

Poland has delivered a note of protest to the Russian Embassy in Warsaw after a drone exploded inside the NATO member's borders. A spokesman for Poland's Foreign Ministry said: "This afternoon, a note of protest was delivered to the Embassy of the Russian Federation regarding the events that took place in Osinie on the night of August 19-20, when an unmanned aerial vehicle exploded there.

"We consider this to be a deliberate provocation, part of hybrid warfare, and another act of hostility towards the Republic of Poland." Police said they received reports of a flying object crashing and exploding in a cornfield in eastern Poland at around 2am on Wednesday, where they found burned metal and plastic debris at the scene. The blast was so violent that it broke windows in nearby houses in the village of Osiny. Luckily, however, no one was injured, the country's news agency PAP reported. Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz told reporters several investigators - both civilian and military - have since been examining the crash site.

The drone was a Russian version of the Shahed model, which is produced by Iran. (Image: AP)

The Foreign Affairs spokesperson also revealed that the drone was a Russian version of the Shahed model, which is produced by Iran. The military reported that the unmanned aircraft also had a Chinese engine installed.

Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command said on social media on Wednesday that no violations of Polish airspace from neighbouring Ukraine or Belarus were recorded overnight. Officials initially said the explosion may have been caused by a part of an old engine with a propeller.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, there have been several incidents of intrusion into Polish airspace, highlighting to both the EU and NATO just how close the war is.

In March, PM Donald Tusk announced plans to provide military training to 'every adult male' in Poland (Image: Getty)

Poland is one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine and is set to spend 4.12% of its GDP on defence this year, according to NATO estimates.

In March, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to provide military training to "every adult male" in the face of ongoing security threats, with the aim of building up a 500,000-strong army.

Mr Tusk said: "By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats."