Nato scrambles jets after Russian strikes near Polish border
Poland scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace on Monday morning after neighbouring western Ukraine was hit by major Russian strikes.
'Due to the intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft began to operate in Polish airspace in the morning,' Warsaw's Operational Command said in a statement on social media.
Russia struck deep beyond the front lines overnight, hitting western Ukraine with dozens of drones and missiles, according to Oleksandr Tretyak, the Rivne mayor.
Ukraine said Russia launched 479 drones and 20 missiles, which would be the war's biggest overnight bombardment.
Russia has recently accelerated its campaign against Ukraine, dampening hopes of a ceasefire after a renewed diplomatic push to end the biggest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
Poland is one of Ukraine's closest allies, and serves as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.
In March last year, Poland, a Nato member, reported a breach of its airspace by a Russian cruise missile, demanding an explanation from Moscow.
A similar incident occurred in December 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.
Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, will on Monday call for a 'quantum leap' in defence capacities including a '400 per cent increase' in air and missile defence that 'protects' the alliance against Russia.
'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,' he will say in a speech to the Chatham House think tank in London, according to comments released in a statement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Germany to turn stations and car parks into bomb-proof bunkers over Russia fears
Ralph Tiesler, the head of Disaster Assistance in Germany, is calling for funding to transform public buildings and car parks into bunkers. He stressed the action needs to be taken before 2029 Germany is planning to transform metro stations and car parks into bomb-proof bunkers and shelters as they scramble to build defences against Russia. The plans come over fears that the Kremlin could attack a NATO country by 2029, prompting concerns over Germany's defence system. Ralph Tiesler, the head of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, stressed that the country needs to create a shelter which will fit around a million people inside. Speaking about the shift in urgency, he said: 'For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario for which we needed to prepare. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.' He further explained that Germany must 'muster a functioning, comprehensive defence system by then." To ramp up the process of protection, Germany will utilise existing facilities such as tunnels, garages and the basements of public buildings, instead of creating brand-new shelters. Currently, the country has around 2,000 bunkers which were used in the Cold War. However, fewer than 600 are sufficient enough to use. On top of this, the current amount would only house 480,000, which is less than 1% of the German population, reports New York Post. Tiesler is calling for the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to fund the renovations and transform the public spaces. He told news site Zeit Online: "We don't want to unnecessarily frighten anyone, but we must nevertheless clearly warn of the danger of a military attack." It comes after Germany's chief of defence, General Carsten Breue, earlier stressed that NATO was facing a "very serious threat" from Russia. He previously told the BBC: "This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight." He further supported the decision that Finland and Sweden made to join NATO shortly after Russia launched war against Ukraine. He added: "All of them understand the threat that is at the moment approaching Nato, all understand that we have to develop a direction of deterrence, into the direction of collective defence. This is clear to everyone. The urgency is seen."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Czech court sentences Colombian to 8 years for arson attack which officials think is tied to Russia
A court in the Czech capital sentenced a Colombian national to eight years in prison on Monday for an arson attack and planning another one, in a case which authorities believe may be linked to Russia. Prague 's Municipal Court also ordered Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz to pay damages worth 115,000 koruna ($5,300). The court approved a plea agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, who pleaded guilty. The 26-year-old Colombian was arrested a year ago after setting ablaze three Prague public buses at a depot at night. The court said that he recorded what he did and left. Local workers managed to extinguish the fire. The court said the man received orders on the Telegram messaging app and was promised $3,000. He was also planning one more attack, possibly at a movie theater in Prague. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala previously said the failed arson attack was likely part of Russia's hybrid war against his country. Czechia, which is more widely known in English as the Czech Republic, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full scale-invasion. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since Moscow launched all-out war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to data collected by The Associated Press. They allege the disruption campaign is an extension of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine. ___
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
London stocks pull back as investors turn cautious ahead of US-China talks
Russia's Defence Ministry said the swap was the result of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month.
