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NATO jets have been scrambled this morning over Russia’s latest missile and drone attack on Ukraine.
The NATO planes were scrambled to defend Poland’s airspace as Russia used long-range rocket strikes to attack Ukraine in a five-hour bombardment.
Late last month the Polish prime minister warned ‘we are in a pre-war era’ as Vladimir Putin’s missiles struck close to its border.
The Kremlin’s drone and missile strikes on Ukraine have forced Poland to scramble jets multiple times in recent weeks.
A spokesperson from Warsaw’s Armed Forces said: ‘Polish and allied aircraft operate in the airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeast area of the country.
‘Intense long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation is observed tonight, due to rocket strikes on objects on Ukrainian territory.
Poland scrambled fighter jets in the early hours of this morning (Picture: Social media/e2w)
Smoke rises following Russian strikes across Ukraine (Picture: social media/e2w)
‘All necessary procedures aimed at ensuring the safety of Polish airspace have been launched.’
Thursday morning’s bombardment from the Kremlin appeared to target Stryi, in the Lviv region of western Ukraine, which is known for having vast underground gas stores.
It’s thought this is part of a wider strategy to disrupt energy supplies in the country, as at least 200,000 people were plunged into darkness by emergency power cuts.
Grid operator substations and power generating facilities in the Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Kyiv regions were damaged.
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Second city Kharkiv suffered 15 punishing strikes, while Odesa and Kyiv were also hit, forcing residents to take shelter underground.
Air defences took down 18 of the incoming missiles and 39 drones, Ukraine’s air force commander said.
The latest attack comes amid concerns that Putin could be planning for a war with NATO ‘sooner than expected’ – before mocking the military alliance.
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