Poland scrambles fighter jets after Russia's massive strike on Ukraine
Overnight Thursday, Poland activated combat aircraft and air defense systems in response to a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine. The Polish military says the measures are preventive, aimed at securing national airspace.
Poland's military operational command announced that combat aviation operations began in the country's airspace overnight Thursday, in response to heightened activity by Russian long-range aviation near Ukraine's border. At the same time, ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on alert status.
A statement posted on the platform X said the move was directly linked to Russian aircraft carrying out raids on Ukrainian territory as part of a broad missile and drone assault.
Precautionary measures
Polish military leadership stressed that the actions were precautionary, intended to guarantee the security of national airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine and other threatened zones.
Meanwhile, Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and the Kyiv region overnight Thursday killed at least six people and injured dozens more, according to earlier reports.
Previous incident
Poland's heightened alertness is also fueled by an earlier episode: overnight on July 30, during a massive Russian missile and drone strike on Ukraine, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile entered Polish airspace and crashed near Lublin. That precedent helps explain why Poland tends to step up security measures in its own airspace whenever Russia launches large-scale attacks on its neighbor.
