Poland suspended operations at two airports overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday as a precaution after a large and deadly Russian airstrike hit western Ukraine, only a few dozen kilometres from the Polish border. In the hours leading up to the attack, Western aircraft were placed on the highest level of readiness.
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In Ukraine, the strikes killed nine people, President Zelensky said. Russia launched 470 drones and 47 missiles, hitting several high-rise buildings in cities including Ternopil. Ukrainian officials described the attack as one of the most extensive since the start of the war.
On Tuesday evening, an AWACS surveillance aircraft flew from its base in Geilenkirchen to eastern Poland, close to the Ukrainian frontier. It was later joined by a British tanker aircraft, which also supported fighter jets scrambled under Operation Eastern Sentry.
Aircraft from Norway, Spain and the Netherlands flew alongside Polish jets in Polish airspace to ensure that no Russian drones or missiles crossed into the NATO country. Germany had Patriot air-defence systems on standby, according to a statement by Poland’s Operational Command on social media.
The Polish military reported that no missiles or drones strayed into Polish territory during the attack.
