Polish forces Activates Jets as Russian forces Strikes Western Ukraine

Polish jets were activated overnight as Moscow's strikes targeted Ukraine's areas close to Poland
Allied jets were activated overnight as Moscow's strikes hit Ukrainian areas close to Poland (file photo)

Russian forces pounded Ukrainian territory with missile and drone attacks through the night on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, concentrating on the major western city of Lviv region.

Ukraine's neighbour Polish authorities deployed fighter jets to protect the safety of Polish airspace, the national defense forces stated. NATO partner planes were also deployed.

Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said two individuals were killed in strikes in the area, and two more injured.

Elsewhere, Russia once more struck Ukraine's power plants - and one was struck in an nocturnal assault on Zaporizhzhia, where the mayor reported one person died and over seventy-three thousand residents were lacking power.

Military Response

The Russian assaults came days after a American representative said the United States would support Ukrainian forces launching deep strikes within Russia's borders.

"Our and partner nations' jets are active in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and surveillance radars have been brought to the highest state of readiness," military officials announced.

At early morning, the entire country was placed on high alert following air defense warnings of incoming aerial threats.

Infrastructure Damage

Russia has intensified its assaults against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The city's administration local officials said part of the city - 43 miles from the Polish frontier - had no power, adding that the local anti-aircraft units were engaged heavily in repelling first a UAV and then a Russian missile attack.

As of 07:30, parts of the city were left without power and public transport was yet to start running, with Sadovyi stressing that it was "unsafe to go out into the streets".

In Zaporizhzhia, the nocturnal assault left "over seventy-three thousand users... without power", according to regional officials.

An individual was fatally wounded, and nine injured, authorities said.

A teenage female was among those receiving medical assistance, officials noted, releasing images apparently showing a partly destroyed apartment building and a burnt-out car from the site of the attack.

Wider Consequences

Public transport in another western city, would "start running later than usual" on Sunday, its city administration said.

The series of attacks were components of Moscow's offensive against the entire nation overnight.

At around early morning, Ukrainian defense officials said the entire territory was under the threat of new missile strikes, following hours of air raid alerts and notifications of drone and missile attacks.

Territorial Control

Moscow's troops have taken control of the majority of the Donbas area, including Luhansk and Donetsk.

Russian authorities presently holds around a fifth of Ukraine's land, including the Crimean peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

International Context

In Russian territory, anti-aircraft systems destroyed multiple UAVs during the night, news agencies reported on Sunday morning.

Recently, a American diplomat said that the United States would back Ukrainian forces conducting long-range operations inside Russian territories.

Meanwhile, another Nato member - the Baltic nation - had to suspend flights briefly after unidentified items were detected.

Lithuania halted air traffic at its main Vilnius airport for several hours, before resuming operations at early morning on Sunday.

The aviation authorities stated the operational pauses and diversions were "due to a potential stream of balloons heading toward Vilnius Airport".

Randy Long
Randy Long

A passionate home chef and food blogger sharing her love for innovative recipes and sustainable cooking practices.