"Measures are being taken to ensure security in areas bordering the threatened regions. We are ready to respond immediately," the Polish military said on 9/7, as Russia carried out a large-scale attack on neighboring Ukraine.
The operational command of the Polish armed forces, a NATO member, also said it had placed ground-based air defense systems and radar on "highest combat readiness", in addition to deploying fighter jets to patrol the airspace.
Poland's move came as Russia launched 6 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 7 Kh-101 and Iskander-K missiles, along with 728 Geran-2 suicide drones and decoy aircraft. The main target of the attack was the city of Lutsk, the capital of the Volyn province, which borders Poland and Belarus.
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Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on the Kyiv area on 9/7. Photo: AFP |
Ukrainian firefighters try to extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on the Kyiv area on 9/7. Photo: AFP
Ukraine claimed to have intercepted more than 700 targets in the large-scale Russian attack, but did not shoot down any of the 6 Kinzhal missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was the largest single-day missile and drone attack to date.
Damage was reported in the cities of Lutsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkov, and Mykolaiv, along with several other areas in northeastern, central, and southern Ukraine.
NATO countries bordering Ukraine often deploy fighter jets as a precaution when Russia launches missiles and drones into western Ukraine. Romania, which also shares a border with Ukraine, earlier this month scrambled fighter jets in response to drone attacks near its border.
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Locations of Poland, Ukraine and Russia. Graphics: RYV |
Locations of Poland, Ukraine and Russia. Graphics: RYV
Russia has recently conducted several large-scale combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, at a time when its adversary is experiencing a severe shortage of air defense missiles, especially interceptors for the Patriot system, after the US suspended military aid.
President Donald Trump announced on 7/7 that Washington would resume support and transfer more defensive weapons to Kyiv, but did not specify the timing or specific types. Axios later reported that Trump promised to "immediately transfer 10 Patriot interceptor missiles" to Ukraine and help the country find sources of weapons.
Huyen Le (According to Newsweek, Axios, AFP)
