English Section

Poland scrambles fighter jets as Russia rains missiles, drones on Ukraine

13.12.2024 10:30
Poland scrambled aircraft and put its air defence systems on alert as Russia launched a new massive air attack on neighbouring Ukraine in the early hours of Friday morning, military officials said.
Image:
Image:Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces

The Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces said in a statement that "all necessary procedures have been initiated" to ensure the safety of Polish airspace.

It added that it was "monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis."

The statement also said that fighter jets were activated early on Friday, with the Operational Command "taking steps to ensure safety" in areas near the Ukrainian border.

The alert was in effect until around 10 a.m., when the Operational Command noted a decreased threat of "strikes using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles" on Ukrainian regions bordering Poland.

The Operational Command reported no violations of Polish airspace during the Russian air strikes on western Ukraine.

Russia launched a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday mornings, targeting various regions across the country, including areas near the Polish border, according to officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia launched 93 missiles and nearly 200 drones in a massive attack on his country's energy infrastructure on Friday.

"A total of 81 missiles were shot down, 11 of which were cruise missiles intercepted by our F-16s," he added, as cited by Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.

Russia invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on February 24, 2022, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.

Friday is day 1,024 of Russia's war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, polskieradio24.pl, Ukrinform