The warning from Ukraine’a air force comes hours after a Russian airstrike killed 24 elderly people who were collecting pensions in a village in eastern Ukraine
A number of Russian drones have reportedly flown into Polish airspace, prompting NATO jets to be scrambled.
Ukraine’s air force warned that Russian drones had entered the country’s airspace in the early hours of Wednesday morning resulting in Polish and allied aircraft being activated.
It comes as Moscow continues to barrage Ukraine with relentless drone strikes.
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Warsaw’s operational command shared the tense news in a post on X. “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” they said.
It added that its measures were preventative and aimed at protecting citizens in regions bordering Ukraine.
The number of drones that entered Polish airspace is not yet clear but Poland’s Operational Command continues to monitor the situation and that forces remain prepared to respond.
It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a guided bomb had struck the village of Yarova, about 15 miles from the city of Sloviansk. The strike killed 24 elderly people who were collecting pensions and another 19 people wounded, the State Emergency Service said.
Poland has protections under the Article 5 mutual defence agreement meaaing countries including the US, the UK and France come to their aid if the clause is invoked.
Pressure is mounting on the United States and allies to impose deeper sanctions on Russia amid the intensifying onslaught of air strikes.
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