Poland scrambles fighter jets as Russia launches drone attack on western Ukraine

Poland scrambled military aircraft and temporarily suspended flights at airports in Lublin and Rzeszów on Thursday as Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on western Ukraine, officials said.

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Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces

The Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces (DORSZ) said military aviation operations had been launched to protect Polish airspace during the Russian strikes.

It later said the operations had ended and that there had been no violation of Polish airspace.

The Government Center for Security (RCB) issued air-raid threat alerts to residents of the eastern provinces of Lubelskie and Podkarpackie, which were later cancelled.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a large explosion had occurred near the Polish border, apparently at a gas station.

"Very close to the Polish border, near Yahodyn, which is close to Dorohusk, a gas station was apparently attacked again. There was a very massive explosion," Tusk said at a news conference after meeting Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.

He said Polish aircraft had also been scrambled in response to the attack.

Tusk described the Russian attack on western Ukraine as "very brutal," noting that similar attacks had taken place two days earlier and during the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

Thursday marks the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Tusk said the date was "unfortunately an exceptional day also in terms of today's security."

The Polish Operational Command said a drone flying toward Poland fell about 4 kilometres from the Polish border, on the Ukrainian side.

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service denied reports that the Russian attack had struck a border crossing with Poland.

"Fortunately, there were no hits on border infrastructure, in particular the border crossing," spokesman Andriy Demchenko said, as cited by Polish state news agency PAP.

The Reuters news agency earlier reported, citing a Ukrainian official, that explosions could be heard several kilometres from the Polish border during the attack.

The RCB later said the air-raid threat for Poland's eastern Lublelskie and Podkarpackie provinces had been cancelled and that the Russian attack on western Ukraine had ended.

It also said the military aircraft had been scrambled as a precaution and that Polish airspace had not been breached.

The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) said the airports in Lublin and Rzeszów had resumed flight operations after being temporarily suspended.

The Operational Command also said a loud bang heard in central Poland before noon was caused by military fighter jets breaking the sound barrier.

"The aircraft were scrambled because of the need to secure Polish airspace during Russian strikes using jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in western Ukraine," the command said on X.

It said the military aviation operations were conducted in a controlled manner and "in accordance with applicable regulations" and safety procedures.

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Source: IAR/PAP, TVP Info, Reuters