Polish, NATO jets scramble after Russia's mass strikes on Ukraine

Warsaw [Poland], September 20 (ANI): Polish and allied military aircraft were scrambled early Saturday after Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine, including strikes near the western border with Poland, CNN reported.

The development came hours after NATO said it intercepted three Russian jets over Estonia's airspace, with Europe on heightened alert following a string of Russian airspace violations across eastern countries.

"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," the Polish military said in a post on X. It added, "Duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence systems as well as radiolocation reconnaissance have reached a state of maximum readiness."

According to CNN, Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 579 attack drones and various types of dummy drones overnight into Saturday, along with eight ballistic missiles and 32 cruise missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "All night, Ukraine was under a massive attack by Russia." He added, "Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure. That is why a strong international response is needed."

Regional authorities said eight people were killed and at least 32 were injured in Russian strikes over the last 24 hours.

On Friday, NATO fighter jets intercepted three Russian MiG-31 aircraft that violated Estonian airspace in what Tallinn described as an "unprecedentedly brazen" incident. The Estonian foreign ministry said the Russian jets flew over the Gulf of Finland without permission, had their transponders switched off, and carried no flight plans, putting other aircraft at risk.

According to CNN, Italian F-35s deployed in Estonia as part of NATO's Eastern Sentry operation, together with Swedish and Finnish aircraft, responded to the intrusion. Russia, however, denied its aircraft had entered Estonian airspace, claiming the flight was conducted "in strict accordance with international rules" and "without violating the borders of other countries."

Estonia has since requested NATO Article 4 consultations, the mechanism that allows any member to raise security concerns with the alliance's main decision-making body. A meeting is scheduled early next week.

Earlier this month, Russian drones violated both Polish and Romanian airspace, prompting NATO allies to strengthen defences on the eastern flank. NATO jets also shot down several Russian drones that crossed into Polish territory during an attack on Ukraine, marking the first time the alliance had fired weapons since Russia's invasion in February 2022. NATO condemned Moscow's actions as "absolutely dangerous."

The latest escalation comes amid stalled peace efforts, with Ukraine's allies working on long-term security guarantees for Kyiv, CNN reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York next week to assess whether such guarantees are close to being finalised. Efforts by Trump to arrange a joint summit with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin have so far failed. (ANI)

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