Polish forces Deploys Fighter Aircraft as Russian forces Attacks Western Ukraine

Polish jets were deployed overnight as Russian strikes targeted Ukraine's areas close to Poland
Polish jets were deployed overnight as Moscow's strikes hit Ukrainian areas near Poland (file photo)

Russian forces attacked Ukraine with missile and drone attacks overnight on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday, focusing on the key western urban center of Lviv.

Ukraine's neighbour Poland activated combat aircraft to ensure the security of Polish airspace, the national defense forces confirmed. NATO partner planes were similarly activated.

Regional governor local authorities confirmed two people were fatally injured in strikes in the area, and an additional two wounded.

Elsewhere, Russian forces again targeted Ukraine's power plants - and a facility was hit in an nocturnal assault on Zaporizhzhia, where the city official reported one person died and over seventy-three thousand residents were lacking power.

Defensive Measures

The Russian assaults came days after a US official stated the United States would support Ukraine conducting long-range attacks within Russia's borders.

"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish skies, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness," military officials said.

At 05:10, all of Ukraine was placed on high alert following air defense warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.

Energy System Attacks

Russian military has stepped up its assaults against the country's power grid.

Lviv's mayor local officials said several districts - 43 miles from the border with Poland - had lost electricity, adding that the local anti-aircraft units were engaged heavily in countering first a UAV and then a Russian missile attack.

As of 07:30, multiple areas were left without power and municipal transit was not operational, with Sadovyi emphasizing that it was "unsafe to go out into the streets".

In Zaporizhzhia, Russia's overnight attack left "more than 73,000 consumers... without electricity", according to regional officials.

An individual was fatally wounded, and nine others hurt, authorities confirmed.

A 16-year-old girl was one of those requiring hospital treatment, he added, posting photos depicting a partly destroyed multi-storey block and a burnt-out car from the site of the attack.

Wider Consequences

Public transport in another western city, would "start running later than usual" on Sunday, its city administration said.

The series of attacks were components of Moscow's offensive against the whole of Ukraine during the night.

At around early morning, Ukraine's Air Force warned all of the country was facing danger of new missile strikes, following hours of air raid alerts and notifications of drone and missile attacks.

Territorial Control

Moscow's troops have occupied most of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, including Luhansk and Donetsk.

Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's land, including the Crimean peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

Global Developments

In Russian territory, anti-aircraft systems eliminated 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, news agencies reported on Sunday morning.

Recently, a US Special Envoy said that the United States would back Ukraine conducting long-range operations inside Russian territories.

Meanwhile, another Nato member - Lithuania - had to close its airspace temporarily after objects were spotted.

Lithuania halted air traffic at its largest and busiest international airport for multiple hours, before reopening it at 04:50 on Sunday.

The aviation authorities stated the flight suspensions and reroutings were "because of a possible series of aerial objects heading toward Vilnius Airport".

James Alvarez
James Alvarez

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