Poland Scrambles Jets as Russian Airstrikes Hammer Western Ukraine

WARSAW / KYIV — Poland scrambled military fighter jets and placed its ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems on high alert after Russia launched a massive wave of missile and drone strikes across western Ukraine.

The precautionary military response underscores rising tensions along NATO’s eastern flank as Moscow intensifies its aerial assault on Ukrainian critical infrastructure near the Polish border.

Late in the evening, Poland’s Operational Command confirmed the deployment of Polish and allied fighter aircraft into the country's national airspace.

In a statement posted on social media, the Polish Operational Command stated: "All necessary procedures to ensure the safety of Polish airspace have been activated. Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the eastern part of the country."

Residents in the eastern Lublin and Subcarpathian (Podkarpackie) voivodeships—border regions directly adjacent to Ukraine—received emergency mobile alerts from the Government Centre for Security (RCB) warning of heavy military aviation activity.

Polish military officials later confirmed that ground air defense systems were briefly activated to monitor incoming vectors, but no direct violation of Polish airspace was detected before jets returned to base.

The military activation followed widespread sirens across Ukraine as Russian forces deployed dozens of long-range attack drones and cruise missiles targeting energy facilities and transit hubs in the west.

Local officials reported that strikes targeted regional energy grids across the Lviv and Volyn Oblasts, leaving over 370,000 residents without power and forcing regional supply networks to implement emergency blackouts. Furthermore, several explosions were recorded less than 50 kilometers from the Polish border, raising heightened concerns in Warsaw over potential cross-border debris or stray munitions.

The overnight barrage coincides with urgent appeals from Kyiv for enhanced air defense assistance from Western partners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to step up defense support and apply "more real pressure on Russia" to safeguard civilians and critical infrastructure.