Poland scrambles fighter jets amid drone, missile attacks on Ukraine

Editor's note: This is a breaking story.

Poland scrambled fighter jets to protect Polish airspace during Russia's drone and missile attack against Ukraine on March 24, the Polish Air Force's Operational Command reported on X.

"All necessary procedures aimed at ensuring the safety of Polish airspace have been activated, and the Operational Command of the Polish Air Force is monitoring the situation continuously," the Polish Air Force wrote on X.

Poland, a NATO member, made the decision to mobilize fighter jets on the morning of March 24, as Russian forces launched another large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine.

Russia launched drone and missile attacks on different oblasts across Ukraine in the early hours of March 24. The attacks targeted regions as far west as Lviv Oblast.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Telegram that missile debris landed in a forest in the city's Desnianskyi district.

Poland did not report airspace violations during the attack, scrambling jets as a precautionary measure.

Russian missiles have previously entered Polish airspace during attacks on Ukraine. On Dec. 29, a missile entered Polish airspace, putting the country's defenses on high alert.

In another incident on Nov. 15, 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during Russian mass strike, killing two civilians. Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian anti-air projectile launched to intercept the Russian attack.

Polish official on reported Russian missile in Poland’s airspace: We cannot rule out provocation

Jacek Siewiera, the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, said that Polish authorities “have enough information to confirm that this missile was launched from Russian systems.”

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek