Poland lifts air alert after Russian drones over western Ukraine
Poland briefly scrambled fighter jets and halted operations at two airports after Russian drones were spotted over western Ukraine near its border, with no violation of Polish airspace reported.
Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command announced around 7:30 a.m. local time that the threat prompting an air alert in border districts of the Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships had ended. The alert had been issued after Russian jet-powered drones were detected over western Ukrainian regions around 7:00 a.m. Polish time, according to RMF24, as cited by "European Pravda."
In response to the threat, Poland temporarily scrambled fighter jets and suspended operations at Rzeszów and Lublin airports. Once the threat passed, forces and resources returned to normal operating mode. Military officials stressed that no violations of Polish airspace were recorded this time.
At the same time, the Government Security Centre cancelled the warning that had been issued for a number of border districts, including Przemyśl, Rzeszów and Lublin.
Ongoing strikes near the border
Since last weekend, Russia has launched a series of strikes on targets close to the Ukraine-Poland border. The first targets were a fuel station near the "Yahodyn–Dorohusk" border crossing and a locomotive of a Ukrzaliznytsia passenger train about two kilometers from the border. On the night before September 13, a drone struck a truck near the same border crossing.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to speed up traffic at the border with Ukraine to avoid vehicle buildups that could become targets for Russian attacks. Authorities also plan to strengthen security at border crossing points.
