NATO scrambled fighter jets early Wednesday as Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine with drones and missiles. Polish and allied aircraft operated in airspace while ground-based air defence systems were brought to the highest state of readiness.
Four Polish airports, including Warsaw's largest Chopin Airport, were closed due to "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security." The other closed airports were Rzeszów-Jasionka, Warsaw Modlin, and Lublin airports.
The Russian barrage appeared to target several Ukrainian regions, including areas close to the Polish border. Most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv which border Poland, remained under air raid alerts for several hours.
Unverified Reports
Ukraine's air force initially reported that Russian drones had entered NATO member Poland's airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc. However, the air force later removed that statement from its Telegram messaging app.
Ukrainian media reported that several Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace. The BBC could not independently verify these reports, and there was no official confirmation from Poland that Russian drones were in Polish airspace overnight.
The incident occurred during a broader Russian assault targeting western Ukrainian regions near the Polish border, raising concerns about potential spillover effects into NATO territory.
Sources used: "BBC" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
