Poland scrambled fighter jets on Monday morning to secure its airspace after neighbouring western Ukraine was hit by major Russian strikes.
‘Due to the intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft began to operate in Polish airspace in the morning,’ Warsaw’s Operational Command said in a statement on social media.
Russia struck deep beyond the frontlines overnight, hitting western Ukraine with dozens of drones and missiles, according to Rivne Mayor Oleksandr Tretyak, who called it ‘the largest attack’ on the region.
Russia has recently accelerated its campaign against Ukraine, dampening hopes of a ceasefire after a renewed diplomatic push to end the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Poland is one of Ukraine’s closest allies and serves as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.
FILE PHOTO: A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off during a demonstration flight at the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznan-Krzesiny, Poland, 10 February 2025
The covered body of a woman killed at the site where a Russian bomb hit the Children’s Railway, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 07 June 2025
Fire and smoke rise from the site where a Russian missile struck a residential area in Ukraine
Russian missiles damaged several buildings in the eastern Ukrainian town of Druzhkivka, Druzhkivka, Ukraine on June 8, 2025
A view of destruction following the two-hour Russian attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine
A Russian Tu-95MS ‘Bear’ strategic bomber aircraft is pictured
In March 2024, NATO member Poland reported a breach of its airspace by a Russian cruise missile, demanding an explanation from Moscow.
A similar incident occurred in December 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military said early this morning that it had struck back, destroying two military planes at Russia’s Savasleyka airfield in Nizhny Novgorod overnight.
‘According to preliminary information, two enemy aircraft (presumably MiG-31 and Su-30/34 aircraft) were struck,’ it said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
The MiG-31 is a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor aircraft designed to target cruise missiles and the enemy planes that shoot them. It is also used to escort Moscow’s strategic bombers on long-range strike missions.
The Su-34 is a mid-range bomber aircraft that has been used extensively in the war against Ukraine.
