Europe's Skies Heat Up: Russia Bombards Ukraine, NATO Deploys Fighter Jets
Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), deployed fighter jets following a major Russian assault wave on Ukraine. This alert measure was taken amid concerns that Moscow’s aggression could expand towards the Western alliance’s territory.
The Polish military announced via social media platform X that fighter aircraft had been deployed following “another massive attack” by Russia on Ukraine. In its statement, Poland’s armed forces noted that “ground-based air defence systems and radar surveillance have reached maximum readiness levels.”
Warsaw emphasised that the deployment was precautionary in nature. The measure, according to official statements, “aimed to secure airspace and its protection, particularly in areas adjacent to the threatened zone.”
This means the security focus was on regions that directly bordered or lay close to zones threatened by Russian attacks.
Three hours later, Polish military provided an update. In a subsequent post, it stated that the fighter jet deployment had ended and ground-based air defence systems and radar had returned to standard operational activity.
The statement also confirmed that Polish airspace had not been violated by Russian attacks. However, no specific location details were provided regarding the latest security measures.
This was not the first time Poland had taken similar action since Russia intensified its bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities.
Poland routinely deploys fighter jets in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine, particularly when Moscow’s missiles and drones target western Ukrainian regions that directly border Poland.
Russian aggression has made NATO wary of the possibility that the conflict could expand into the alliance’s territory.
The previous day, another NATO member, Romania, also took similar steps. Two F-16 jets were deployed after drones were detected near its airspace in the Danube region, north of Tulcea County.
“The unmanned aircraft briefly entered national airspace in the Sfântu Gheorghe area without endangering human life, and exited north of Sulina, flying only over territorial waters,” the Romanian military stated.
Russian Combined Assault on Multiple Cities
Meanwhile in Ukraine, local authorities on Thursday reported that Russia had launched a combined attack using missiles and drones against various regions. Cities targeted included Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih.
The assault reportedly damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated via social media that Russia had launched 427 drones and 39 missiles. Targets included gas infrastructure in Poltava region and electrical substations in Kyiv and Dnipro regions.
According to Zelensky, most projectiles were successfully shot down by Ukrainian air defences. However, he warned that the threat had not ended.
“Cold weather has not fully subsided and air defence missiles are needed every day whilst Russia attempts to destroy our energy sector,” he wrote.
The overnight attack resulted in at least 26 people being wounded. This escalation occurred only a week after peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States took place in Geneva, Switzerland.