Air forces from several NATO countries were scrambled overnight to protect the alliance's airspace along its eastern border as Russia launched one of the deadliest air strikes on western Ukraine in the war.
Polish, Romanian, German, Spanish, Norwegian and Dutch fighter jets were scrambled twice in airspace bordering Ukraine over Poland and Romania, while Russian forces carried out strikes in western Ukraine. According to Kyiv, Russia launched 476 drones, 47 cruise missiles and one ballistic missile, striking across the country, especially the western cities of Ternopil and Lvov.
At least 20 people were found dead in Ternopil, which is about 225 miles west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and 110 miles from the Polish border. At least two of those killed were children, and 66 others were injured, including 16 children in the strikes, which severely damaged two apartment buildings.
Ukraine said it had scrambled its own Western-made fighter jets, including American made F-16 And French Mirage 2000 planes to shoot down Russian missiles. In total, according to Kyiv, 41 cruise missiles were shot down, 10 of them by Ukrainian Air Force aircraft supplied by the West.
BBC notes The unusually large and deadly Russian air raid came a day after Ukraine said it used US-made ATACMS missiles against targets inside Russia. This happened for the first time under Trump's presidency.
Operational Command of the Polish Army (COD) in Warsaw, Poland said it scrambled NATO aircraft overnight to protect alliance airspace. While the exact number of aircraft involved was not disclosed, it was stated that more than one “duty pair” of aircraft were scrambled, as well as an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft to monitor the skies.
To give fighter jets clear skies, civil air traffic was diverted and two airports in Rzeszow and Lublin were temporarily closed.
In a message after completing the defense mission, they confirmed that no Russian drones or missiles were detected entering Polish airspace, and DORSZ expressed gratitude to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the Spanish Air Force, Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft and the German Army's missile defense systems, which “helped ensure security in Polish skies today.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine's southern neighbor Romania – also a NATO member – has also launched an air patrol mission in response to the massive Russian air raid. Pairs of Romanian F-16s and German Eurofighters were scrambled to monitor what the Defense Ministry said was a Russian drone that briefly entered Romanian airspace, then crossed into Ukraine and Moldova before re-entering Romania.
Presumably, the drone crashed, but where exactly is not specified.
Responding to the airstrike overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Every brazen attack on ordinary life proves that the pressure on Russia is still not enough. Effective sanctions and assistance to Ukraine can change the situation. The top priority is air defense missiles, additional systems, expanding the capabilities of our combat aircraft and producing drones to protect lives.”
