Poland scrambles fighter jets amid Russian missile attack on Ukraine

Poland scrambled military aircraft overnight following Russia’s missile strikes on Ukraine, while ground-based reconnaissance and air defense systems were placed on high alert.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported on the social media platform X by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces.

“Due to the activity of the Russian Federation's long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace… On-duty fighter pairs and an early warning aircraft have been scrambled, and ground-based air defense systems as well as radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of maximum readiness,” the statement reads.

It was noted that the measures were preventive in nature.

Later, the Operational Command reported that the military aviation operation had been completed. The Polish command thanked the NATO Air Command, the German Air Force, and the Spanish Air and Space Force, whose aircraft patrolled Polish airspace, as well as the Dutch Armed Forces for assistance with their air defense systems.

Polish forces are monitoring the situation in Ukraine as part of Operation Eastern Dawn.

As reported earlier, during the night of March 14, Russian forces carried out a combined strike on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, using attack drones as well as land- and sea-based missiles. Russia launched around 430 drones and 68 missiles, including 13 ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 58 missiles and 402 drones. The massive attack killed four people and damaged civilian infrastructure.